Tampa, Fla. -- Three people have been shot in two weeks within about a mile of each other in Tampa, sparking fears of a serial killer.

Officers are warning residents not to walk alone at night and police are escorting children to school, according to USA Today. Police don't yet have a motive or suspect.

The killings began Oct. 9. So far, they're only linked by time and proximity, USA Today said.

The neighborhood where the killings took place, Seminole Heights, is a working-class section of the city northeast of downtown.

The first victim was 22-year-old Benjamin Mitchell. Five days later, the body of 32-year-old Monica Hoffa was found. Anthony Naiboa, 20, was shot and killed Oct. 19, according to USA Today.

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn said the city has dozens of officers in the area affected by the killings around the clock. Federal authorities are also helping, according to USA Today.

"There aren't a lot of facts or evidence yet," Buckhorn said, according to the paper. "We're going to find this guy and we're not leaving this neighborhood till we do."

Bryanna Fox, a former FBI profiler, told CNN the killer probably knows the area well. He may have lived there in the past or works there, she said.

Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan urged residents to stand up for their neighborhood.

"We're not going to be held hostage by whoever is doing this," he said, according to CNN. "We need everyone to come out of their homes at night, turn on their porch lights and just not tolerate this type of terrorism."

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