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Family of accused Valrico shooter expresses condolences to victim's family

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By Danny Valentine, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Skip O'Rourke   |   Times
Judge Walter R. Heinrich set bond Wednesday morning for Trevor Dooley, the 69-year-old bus driver who was charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of an Air Force veteran on a Valrico basketball court.

TAMPA — The family of the man accused of fatally shooting an Air Force veteran in front of his daughter expressed condolences to the victim's family Wednesday morning after a judge set bail at $50,000.

Trevor Dooley, 69, is charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of 41-year-old David James during a confrontation Sunday over a teenage boy skateboarding on the neighborhood basketball court in Valrico.

"No words can adequately express our regret for the loss of their father, husband, friend, community member," said Desmond Langton, Dooley's brother-in-law.

Langton spoke at the Hillsborough County Courthouse after Judge Walter Heinrich set bail at $50,000. He was the first family member to speak about the shooting since it happened Sunday night. Dooley has not spoken publicly or to authorities.

The public does not know Dooley as a husband, father, family member and friend, Langton said.

"Those of us who have the privilege of knowing him personally and intimately, we know him as a quiet, unassuming, intelligent man who loves everyone and who will willingly forgo his own comfort for the safety of another," Langton said.

Several of Dooley's family members lined the back bench of the courtroom Wednesday morning and watched a small group of inmates in the Falkenburg Road Jail over a video feed. Dooley began walking toward the front of the room in an orange jumpsuit, arms handcuffed in front of him.

"Oh my God," a relative said, tearing up. Others dabbed at their faces with tissues or clutched each other for support.

Langton said Dooley is a retiree, father of three and someone who enjoyed his job as a school bus driver.

He has been married to his wife, Pat, for 42 years, he said.

"He believes in family first and is always willing to lend a hand to anyone in need," he said.

Dooley loves fixing cars, listening to jazz and tinkering with computers. He's a ham radio operator.

It's unclear when Dooley may be able to post bail.

If he does, he cannot return to the shooting scene, and cannot carry a gun, Heinrich declared.

Prosecutors asked that bail be set at $100,000, portraying James as a man who came to the defense of a young skateboarder after Dooley walked into a park with a loaded handgun. The state said he posed a risk to the community.

Dooley's attorney, Ronald Tulin, didn't talk about the incident but said Dooley was not a threat. He noted he didn't have a criminal record and said he wasn't a flight risk.

He and his wife did not have the ability to post $100,000 bail, Tulin said.

After hearing how close the incident occurred to Dooley's house, Heinrich ordered that he not return to the area. "He will not be living at that house," he said.

Dooley was led in handcuffs from his home on Partridge Point Trail on Tuesday.

Dooley also faces charges of improper exhibition of a firearm and openly carrying a firearm, according to the Sheriff's Office.

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