No word from ‘November tipster;’ Zombicon case ‘far from cold’

FORT MYERS, Fla. – A tipster called Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers after the program announced in May that one specific person could be vital to an arrest in the ZombiCon shooting.

But it was not the person Crime Stoppers was looking for.

The vital tipster called Crime Stoppers between Nov. 11 and Nov. 13, 2015, which was a few weeks after a gunmen killed one and left several others injured at the downtown Fort Myers zombie festival. Crime Stoppers requested that the person — the “November tipster” — call Wednesday, June 1 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

But the “November tipster” did not responded to Crime Stoppers’ requests, authorities said. The case is still active because another tipster called with information that matched details provided by that vital tipster, according to authorities.

“So things are moving forward,” said Southwest Florida Crime Stopper Coordinator Trish Routte. “This case is far from cold!”

Routte said staff will be accepting calls every Wednesday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. The Crime Stoppers hotline is 1-800-780-TIPS (8477). The reward for information leading to an arrest in this particular case is $36,000.