Expand / Collapse search
☰

ATF agent shot outside bowling alley may be permanently paralyzed, court documents show

By
Published  December 31, 2024 5:49am EST
Hillsborough County
FOX 13 News

The Brief

    • An off-duty ATF agent was shot Friday night at a bowling alley in Riverview.
    • Court documents reveal the injured agent could face permanent paralysis.
    • The 18-year-old suspect, Christopher Smith, faces attempted murder and aggravated battery charges.

RIVERVIEW, Fla. - An ATF agent who was shot while off-duty at a bowling alley in Riverview could face "irreversible paralysis," according to newly released court documents.

The shooting happened late Friday night at The Alley at Southshore off Big Bend Rd.

An off-duty ATF agent was shot Friday night at a bowling alley in Riverview, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said.

An off-duty ATF agent was shot Friday night at a bowling alley in Riverview, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, the agent was at the bowling alley with his family when he noticed a fight in the parking lot and tried to break it up. He was shot once in the neck, documents show.

Investigators arrested the 18-year-old suspected shooter, Christopher Smith, several hours later at a nearby home.

Courtesy: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Prosecutors filed a motion for pretrial detention, which states the agent "survived surgery but is suffering from paralysis of all four extremities. His preliminary prognosis includes at least some irreversible paralysis due to the injuries sustained from the gunshot wound."

Smith faces charges of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm.

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:

Hillsborough CountyCrime and Public Safety