Months after Tampa killing, 3 men arrested, police say

Detectives have arrested three men in connection to the shooting death of a man in Tampa nearly a year ago, police announced Monday evening.

According to a news release from Tampa police, the three men — Gavin Alexander Wolden, 25, of Wesley Chapel, Benjamin Aakeem Smiley, 23, of Zephyrhills, and Israel Montanez, 23, of Tampa — all face charges of first-degree felony murder and burglary with the intent to commit battery in the Sept. 9 slaying.

Officers responded to reports of gunshots in the 2900 block of N. 17th Street around 2 p.m. and discovered an adult male with gunshot wounds. The man was taken to an area hospital, where he died, according to the release.

Police have not released the name or age of the man.

During the course of the investigation, detectives learned that Wolden, Smiley and Montanez and the man all knew each other and that the three men had physically assaulted the man in his vehicle before he was shot, police said.

The release did not say what led detectives to the three suspects.

Wolden also is facing a charge of tampering with physical evidence, police said. He currently is serving time in a Florida prison after being sentenced on unrelated charges from Hillsborough and Volusia counties, state prison records show.

According to Hillsborough jail records, Montanez is in custody and being held without bail. Smiley was not in Hillsborough jail records Monday night.

This is a developing story. Stay with tampabay.com for updates.