Man was shot, stabbed, killed by friend, St. Petersburg police say

ST. PETERSBURG — Two friends got in a fight Wednesday night. It ended when one repeatedly stabbed the other, police said, then followed him as he tried to get away and shot him.

Now one friend is dead, and the other faces a charge of first-degree murder.

Officers were sent to investigate a report of a person shot in the 3500 block of Fourth Avenue S about 5:30 p.m. They found 29-year-old Mitchell William Collins critically injured, according to St. Petersburg police. Collins was taken to Bayfront Health and pronounced dead there.

James Chin, 26, faces a charge of first-degree murder, according to St. Petersburg police. [ Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office ]

Police quickly found a suspect and detained him, officials announced Thursday. They identified him as James Chin, 26. A report shows that Chin was arrested Wednesday night and booked into the Pinellas County jail, where he is being held without bail.

St. Petersburg police released a redacted arrest report on Thursday that omits several details. Collins and Chin were friends, said police spokeswoman Sandra Bentil.

The fight began at Collins’ home in that same block of Fourth Avenue S, Bentil said. Collins was stabbed several times, the report said, including once in the neck. A witness told police he heard a gunshot, then saw Chin follow Collins out of the apartment and shoot him. The arrest report noted one gunshot wound to Collins’ knee.

The report does not say what led to the fight. Chin served nearly four years in prison on drug and weapons charges and was freed on May 24, according to state records.

The investigation is ongoing, police said.

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