PCSO: Bartow man gunned down while riding dirt bike

BARTOW, Fla. - Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd is asking for help catching a killer. 

According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, a 34-year-old man from the Gordon Heights area of Bartow was shot and killed Sunday afternoon while riding a dirt bike. 

First responders responding to reports of a dirt bike crash on Wheeler Street, northeast of Bartow shortly before 2:10 p.m. found the victim suffering from a single gunshot wound. 

He was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced deceased. 

According to an autopsy, a bullet entered the victim’s lower right back and traveled through his kidney, diaphragm, and lung.

READ: ‘It angers me’: Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd talks security after Nashville school shooting

Witnesses told detectives they heard at least one gunshot in the area.

"At this early stage of the investigation, we don’t know why the victim was murdered. Somebody out there has information, even the smallest detail that could help us capture the killer. A family has lost a loved-one, and we need to bring his killer to justice," stated Sheriff Grady Judd.

Anyone with any information about this case is asked to contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 863-298-6200. Anonymous tips can be made to Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS (8477), and if an arrest is made based on a tip, the tipster would be eligible for a $3,000 reward.