Orange County Sheriff's Office opens mobile substation in crime-plagued Pine Hills

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Orange County Sheriff's Office opened up a mobile substation in Pine Hills in response to ongoing violence in the neighborhood.

The station will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will allow residents to go inside to speak with deputies and give crime tips.

“(Cops) are always talking, 'If you see something, say something.' Well, why don't they say who the gangs are? Where (do) they live? What (do) they look like?” said resident Tim Adams.

Adams and other residents are calling on the sheriff's office to be more up-front with information they have about gangs in the area.

The move to establish the mobile command center came after a 31-year-old man was shot to death Saturday afternoon in Pine Hills.

The victim was suspected of being involved in a home invasion in Tavares hours before his death, the Tavares Police Department said.

Officers had issued a be-on-the-look-out alert for Brandon Bascom’s vehicle, which they said was found at the shooting scene, Tavares police Cpl. Sarah Coursey said.

Detectives said they believe Bascom was shot in retaliation for the home invasion.

Adams said he does not believe the mobile sub-station will stop the violence.

“Jerry (Demings) needs to close that unit down and put more troops on the streets with the money they're wasting on it,” said Adams.

Photos: Man fatally shot, bystander injured in Pine Hills, deputies say

Bascom was shot shortly before 2:30 p.m. in the parking lot of a Kwik Stop on North Powers Drive near Silver Star Road, said Jeff Williamson, an Orange County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.

In an attempt to flee the gunman, the wounded man put his vehicle in reverse and drove backward for nearly 100 yards until he reached the parking lot of a shopping center across the street, Williamson said.

Investigators said the Bascom’s car pinned a woman who was putting away groceries in her own vehicle.

Bascom, who collapsed at the scene, was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he died, deputies said.

Investigators said the woman, whose leg was injured, was also taken to the hospital, but her injuries weren't life-threatening.

The gunman remains at large, Williamson said.

Local pastor Brenda Rowe said she was shopping when the panic ensued.

“I've lived in this neighborhood now half my life, and the things going on in this neighborhood [are] just totally ridiculous,” she said. “What is it going to come to? You can't ride down the road. You can't get from one store or destination to another, and it's sad. It's really sad.”

The shooting comes a day after Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings held a joint news conference with Orlando police Chief John Mina and other local officials, calling for an end to the gun violence that has plagued Pine Hills.

“We've got children, we've got elderly people, I'm a business owner, and we want our community safe again,” Rowe said. “We need to decide what we're going to do to stop this violence, because enough is enough.”

Adams said he wasn't sure the violence in the neighborhood could be stemmed until the quality of life there improves.

"That's why people kill each other," he said. "It's not because they hate each other from birth. It's not because they hate each other from grade school. It's because they hate the conditions of life they're suffering under."

Adams blames the violence on what he said is a lack of economic opportunities for those in the community.

“I've seen the disparity. I've seen spending our tax dollars on arenas and stadiums instead of housing,” said Adams.

But business owner Tim Haberkamp said that increased interaction between neighbors and deputies is much-needed.

“You call them on the phone; it's one thing, but if you see them in person it's a whole different ballgame,” said Haberkamp.

The shooting continues to be investigated.

Related story: Deputies: Man fatally shot, bystander injured in Pine Hills

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