A Life Lost

On the evening of June 24^th, 1999, Tim Chanthavong was traveling in his flashy red Acura NSX to Spec’s Music at 2855 66^th St. N. St. Petersburg, Florida. Tim arrived at Spec’s Music and phoned his brother, Dar Chanthavong, discussing different CD’s he was going to purchase. One was by Christina Aguilera, “Genie in a Bottle.” Tim was at the cash register while speaking to his brother for approximately 5 minutes before the call dropped. Dar attempted to call back but received his voice mail. Then, Dar decided to wait until the morning to call his brother back after several attempts. Approximately, 8:41pm Tim purchases the Christina Aguilera CD at Spec’s Music and drives away.

That same evening an unknown perpetrator saw Tim Chanthavong walk outside of Spec’s Music and into his Acura NSX. Within 10 minutes, Tim Chanthavong was fatally shot, at the corner of 26th Ave. N. and 60th St. N. next to the Northwest Youth Center just 8 blocks away from Spec’s Music. Around 8:51pm, an unknown jogger(s), found Tim shot and bleeding in a driveway and called 911. Based on the pattern of bloodstains, policed suspected Tim was shot north of the intersection on 60th St., then staggered to a driveway on 26th Ave., just west of the intersection. Later, paramedics arrived and took him to St. Petersburg General Hospital, where Tim sadly passed. William Warzybok, who lived nearby in the Sheryl Manor neighborhood in the Tyrone area was cycling in the area with his 2 sons just before the shooting.

Twelve minutes later, after the shooting, witnesses saw a red car speeding east on 22nd Ave. N. Tim’s Acura NSX was involved in a hit and run accident at 53rd Ave. S. and 7th St. S. His Acura NSX ran over a curb and slammed into a parked car. Police later learned the Acura NSX was seen racing up and down 7th St. S. twice running a stop sign at 54th Ave. S. Witnesses also saw the red Acura NSX racing up and down the street. Later, police received an anonymous phone call about a red sports car that had been parked through the previous night on Hillside Drive near 4th St. and 58th Ave. S. The pride and joy of Tim’s Acura NSX was wrecked and abandoned. There were no leads to the murder of Tim Chanthavong…