Child shot on Courtney Campbell Causeway remembered on birthday as killer remains loose
TAMPA, Fla. - Teddy bears and toy trucks mark the place along the Courtney Campbell Causeway in Tampa where a seven-year-old boy was killed by a stray bullet on the 4th of July.
Exactly one month has passed since Yitzian Torres Garcia’s death. This week, his family, still waiting for his killer or killers to be brought to justice, hung signs wishing the boy they affectionately nicknamed, "Bootie," a happy eighth birthday.
"We have a 7-year-old that was killed," Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said. "His birthday should have been today turning eight, but his [family] is in Puerto Rico, having a memorial service."
Torres Garcia was killed while on a summer vacation in Florida to visit his grandparents. Family members say they’d planned to celebrate his eighth birthday together in Tampa. Instead, they’ll spend the day in Puerto Rico by his graveside.
One sign placed near the bay-side location where Torres Garcia was killed pleads for justice from the grave.
"I was seven years old and I don’t think anyone deserves to die at the short age when my life just started," it reads. "I’m just asking for your help to find out who did this to me. Me and my family need to find justice."
Yitzian Torres Garcia's family kneel at memorial dedicated to the child.
Justice has been slow to come.
Tampa police have yet to make an arrest in the case. No information about a suspect or suspects has been released.
That’s not for a lack of witnesses to the shooting, which occurred while fireworks were beginning along an extremely crowded stretch of the causeway.
Pictured: Yitzian Torres Garcia
Torres Garcia and his grandfather were there that night to see fireworks, but as they celebrated, grandfather Juan Carlos Hernandez says he became increasingly uneasy about two groups of people who began to argue nearby.
One group appeared upset with some jet skiers they felt were riding too close to children playing in the water.
Hernandez said he kept his distance. Then, at some point, he heard shooting.
Pictured: Yitzian Torres Garcia
"One guy, he started shooting to the air," Hernandez recounted for FOX 13 the day after the incident.
RELATED: Grandpa tried to protect boy shot, killed on Fourth of July in Tampa, police say
Hernandez says he grabbed his grandson and pulled him into his truck for cover.
Pictured: Yitzian Torres Garcia
"I heard one [bullet] on the glass and then the other one, and I grabbed my son down and I feel the shot on my own hand. When I saw my kid, he was shot with the same bullet," Hernandez said.
The bullet took off Hernandez’s finger, before lodging in the boy’s head.
Torres Garcia was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
His family members say the person who recklessly fired into a crowd and took the life of an innocent child, shouldn’t be allowed to walk free.
Law enforcement officers search for clues after a child was shot on the Courtney Campbell Causeway.
"People need to know not to take out guns just for fun. Guns are for protection, not to be used as toys. Guns are not toys," Torres Garcia’s aunt, Stephanie Arroyo Garcia, said during a vigil last month. "We just want justice. Whoever did that, we just want justice."
On Friday Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay increased the reward for information that leads to an arrest to $10,000.
"Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay is offering a reward of up to $5,500 for information that leads to the identification and arrest of the unknown suspect(s) involved in this case. In addition, reward monies of up to $4,500 are now available through the Florida Association of Crime Stoppers, in partnership with the Florida Office of Attorney General," said Kelly McLaren, executive director of Crimestoppers of Tampa Bay. "The enhanced reward monies are available through June 30, 2024. The tip must come through the Crime Stoppers program and lead to the identification and arrest of the suspect(s) to be eligible for the enhanced reward."
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement added another $5,000 for tips that lead to the arrest and conviction of those involved.
"The Tampa Bay community tragically lost Yitzian Torres Garcia due to senseless gun violence. FDLE stands in partnership with Tampa P.D. both, investigatively and forensically, to bring those responsible for this murder to justice. If you have information concerning this unimaginable event, I implore you to please come forward. The family and the community deserve justice," said SAC Mark Brutnell.