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ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – A motorist accused of intentionally riding a cyclist on a bike path with two young sons was hospitalized against his will for a mental assessment this month, and hours before the attack, said: " I will kill someone "in an Instagram video selfie.
Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan told reporters that a witness described the driver of a Dodge Avenger turning around, crossing the traffic and driving on an easement before hitting the family and leaving.
The chief said Mikese Morse, 30, appeared to have targeted the family on Sunday afternoon.
Pedro Aguerreberry, 42, pulled a child in a trailer while his eldest son followed behind him on the off-road bike trail. All wore helmets. Aguerreberry was killed and Bennett, his three-year-old son, was seriously injured. Lucas, his 8 year old son, was not seriously injured.
Morse, a track and field athlete who has repeatedly tried to be part of the US Olympic team, is now charged with premeditated first degree murder and leaving the scene of an accident with a death and injuries. He is being held at Hillsborough County Jail, where the records do not mention a defense attorney for him.
The officers arrested Morse on Sunday night at his parents' home in Tampa after someone spotted the vehicle and called 911. The Dodge – with plastic glued to the windshield to hide the damage – was parked just north of Downtown Tampa, about two blocks away. The detectives took him to the police headquarters, where he was arrested.
This June 24, 2018 photo published by the Tampa Police Department shows Mikese Morse at Tampa Prison, Florida. Tampa police said Morse was arrested on Sunday night and charged with premeditated first degree murder. He is also charged with leaving the scene of an accident with a death and injury. He is held without bail in Hillsborough County Jail. (Tampa Police Department via AP) (Associated Press)
Dugan said Morse was involuntarily hospitalized for a mental assessment after entering a police station on June 12 and exhibiting "strange behavior".
Morse appeared visibly angry and increasingly incoherent in the videos posted on Instagram on Sunday morning. They show him speaking to act in the name of the Lord by walking around Wal-Mart. A video ends, "I'm going to kill someone tonight now."
In another video posted later Sunday, Morse speaks to the camera and says, "Yeah, heck, it's your fault. Yeah, heck, it's your fault, your fault because you came down to earth. You had the choice and you knew exactly what to do. You said you do not care about anyone here. "
His Instagram feed also shows pictures of him at track events, references to music and hip-hop sports, and religious texts.
The court records show that Morse has already been cited for a handful of traffic citations, such as driving with a suspended license and driving a vehicle in a dangerous state. He was also cited for possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana last year, which constitutes a civil offense in the city of Tampa.
As an athlete, Morse has specialized in long jump. He attended the University of South Florida in Tampa, where he won the Big East Championship for jumping 25 feet and 7 and a half inches (7.81 meters). He also attended the University of Miami.
He has qualified for the US Olympic Trials three times and was a finalist in 2008 and 2016, but he has never been part of the team.
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Jennifer Kay contributed to this report from Miami.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, disseminated, rewritten or redistributed.
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