By FireRescue1 Staff
TAMPA BAY, Fla. — A firefighter and former motorcycle gang member is accused of withholding evidence after a motorcycle gang shooting, according to officials.
ABC Action News reported that Hillsborough County Fire Rescue firefighter Clint Walker, who is a former member of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, is being investigated under an anti-gang policy after allegedly refusing to hand over former Hillsborough Fire Rescue Captain James Costa’s Outlaws vest when he was shot while riding his motorcycle.
According to the investigation, first responder Jason Vasquez called Walker, who was off-duty at the time, after Costa had been shot.
The investigation reports said that Walker was waiting at the hospital when the ambulance transporting Costa arrived, and jumped into the vehicle without permission and changed into his uniform to “gain unauthorized access and utilized his position as a uniformed firefighter for personal reasons or gain.”
“That’s incorrect, that’s a misrepresentation of facts. The fact is I wore a department shirt to show solidarity and brotherhood for a retired firefighter,” Walker said.
The report continued that Walker took Costa’s Outlaws MC vest and the rest of Costa’s belongings and put them in his car, refusing to give the vest to a police officer who considered it evidence in the shooting.
“I did not refuse, all I did was redirect. There’s a big difference. I redirected her to speak to the owner of the belongings,” Walker said. “If I had involved myself in this investigation, I would’ve been arrested and charged with a crime. Not to mention the investigation is to find the shooter of someone who shot my friend, why would I interfere with that?”
The report said Costa eventually agreed to allow pictures of the vest to be taken, and Walker handed it over.
The investigator added that “Mr. Walker continues to show loyalty to the OMC,” but he cannot conclude that he is still affiliated with the gang.