Gunman on the run after shooting 13-year-old Tampa boy
TAMPA, Fla. - A tight-knit Tampa community is desperate for answers after a 13-year-old boy was hospitalized after being gunned down Tuesday night.
The shooting happened just steps from the Lee Davis Center and city council members are again denouncing gun violence.
Officers were first called to the corner of 22nd Street and 26th Avenue in Tampa just before 5 Tuesday night after multiple people called 911 to report a shooting. When they arrived, they found the boy and rushed him to the hospital.
The young victim remained in critical condition the night before Thanksgiving and a search was underway for the shooter.
A few store owners near the scene of the shooting said they heard at least three gunshots. The Tampa City Councilmember for the area, Orlando Gudes (District 5) is urging people who know something to speak up.
Gudes could only say "Not again. Not again," when he heard the news of another shooting.
"I believe that there is an answer. We just got to look and dig real deep and find it and put it to work," Gudes said.
Tampa police have not identified any suspects in the shooting and said they are relying on tips from the public.
"We just really ask the community to come together and to help move the investigation forward," said Tampa police spokesperson Sandra Bentil.
Police won't say what may have led up to the shooting but people in the area said that street corner is a spot where teens are often seen riding scooters. Employees in the nearby shopping plaza said it's turned into a nuisance and fights have occasionally broken out.
As police continue the investigation, they urge anyone who was in the area to tell investigators what they know.
"When it happens to your family, you want somebody to speak up," Gudes said. "So let's just put it in reverse mode. It happened to somebody else and you have the answer or you have knowledge. There's many ways to be anonymous to get the police law enforcement, the information to be able to solve some of the crimes or find out who's doing whatever to get the guns out of some of these bad people's hands."
Anyone who would like to report a tip and remain anonymous may call CrimeStoppers at 1-800 873-TIPS.
A $5,000 cash reward is being offered for any tips that lead directly to the arrest of the shooter.