Expand / Collapse search
☰

Mother of teen killed in Citrus Park mall shooting looking for answers: 'He didn't deserve this'

By
Published  September 17, 2024 11:10pm EDT
Tampa
FOX 13 News

Mother remembers son killed at mall

Genevieve Curtis reports

TAMPA, Fla. - Investigators with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office are working to find who shot and killed a 16-year-old boy outside the Citrus Park Town Center Mall Saturday evening. The agency said they are interviewing multiple persons of interest. 

Shots were fired just after 7 p.m., killing Peter Hyman Jr, who his family called "PJ."

His mother, Bianca Cooper, is devastated and trying to get answers as to what unfolded outside the food court, where Hyman was enjoying a regular Saturday with his friends. 

RELATED: Teen shot, killed outside Red Robin at Citrus Park mall: HCSO

His friends told his mom they were finishing up at the food court when they heard shots. Everyone started running, everyone except Hyman.

She said he loved Legos, art, Disney movies, hanging out with his friends and had dreams of becoming an engineer.

"I said ‘which kind of engineer?’ He's like, ‘Mom, there's so many different types of engineers.’ He's like, ‘that's what I want to do.’  So we were going to start looking into that to see what type of engineer that he wanted to be," said Cooper. 

As the middle child and only boy, his mom said Hyman was the protector of both his older and younger sisters. She now wants answers as to how her sweet son was killed by gunfire while at the mall. 

MORE: Man sentenced to prison for supplying kids in Tampa with guns

"I’m going to keep going as much as I can to make sure we find out who did this to him, because he was a sweet boy. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve it at all," said Cooper.

She said it was an ordinary Saturday for Hyman and his friends. She said she would often go to the mall with them.

"Someone that was so good was taken away at such a young age," she said.

Friends made a poster after having a candlelight vigil. Clutching the card with moving messages, Cooper is now a mom with a message of her own.

"Gun violence has got to stop. We're losing too many young kids who have so big futures ahead of them, and we're taking this away from them," said Cooper. "I just want if you guys know anything about the person who did this, to please speak out and reach out to the sheriff's office and let it be known, and please just don't let this case get swept under the rug."

HCSO did detain two people at the scene Saturday night, but they have since been cleared. Investigators are interviewing multiple people in connection with this and asking anyone with information to come forward. 

WATCH FOX 13 NEWS:

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: