Joshua Benjamin, 34, a White male, was shot late Sunday morning on August 17, 2025, inside a home on the 1000 block of Helena Street in Lutz after an argument spiraled into a physical confrontation. Deputies were dispatched at 10:27 a.m., arriving to find him with a gunshot wound to the upper body; he was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A woman had called 911 reporting that another man had shot her boyfriend, and investigators quickly focused on the dispute that unfolded just before the gunfire.
At the scene, deputies detained 19-year-old Anthony Williams. According to the sheriff’s office, Williams was initially booked that same day on carrying a concealed firearm and armed trespassing while detectives continued building the case. After consultation with the State Attorney’s Office, the charges were upgraded on September 4 to second-degree murder with a firearm, along with carrying a concealed firearm. Authorities described the killing as a rapid escalation from words to violence, and said the investigation remains active under their Public Affairs Office.
Local coverage echoed the timeline, identifying Benjamin as the man who died after the confrontation and naming Williams as the suspect now facing a second-degree murder charge. Community tributes and obituary listings surfaced in the days that followed, marking the date and place of his death and underscoring the shock felt across Lutz and Tampa.
