Tampa PD: 1 man dead, another injured in Sunday night shooting downtown

TAMPA, Fla. - It was a long night for some residents in downtown Tampa, who told FOX 13 that, yet again, their evening was interrupted by gunshots. It’s become a familiar sound for residents who live in the area. 

Tampa police responded to the calls of a reported shooting outside Bello Bar and Kitchen around 9:20 p.m. Sunday night.

TPD arrived at the scene to find two individuals shot and suffering from gunshot wounds as a result of an alleged fight. One man was transported to the hospital, while the other died at the scene. 

Investigators say the shooter has been cooperating and they were able to talk to several witnesses who were present at the time of the shooting. 

However, the incident brings to light a bigger problem facing the downtown area as just last month a similar incident played out right across the street on North Franklin, near Eden Nightclub. 

Officers said a fight broke out inside the club and spilled out into the street, also leading to two individuals being shot. 

Bello Management released the following statement to FOX 13 in response to the shooting:

This unfortunately is the second time in short period that this has happened in the area. This happening outside of all the establishments on Franklin Street hits way too close to home and my condolences goes out to the family of the person that passed. As a restaurant and as human beings we in no way condone or accept violence in any form and want to continue to be a fun, family-friendly establishment where employees and guests feel welcomed and safe. I will be meeting with the other owners and want to get the chief of police involved. I personally feel that any day that Franklin Street is active, which is mainly on the weekends, police presence should be provided the same way it is in Soho, Channelside, and Ybor. Until that happens, I will be hiring a professional security company on premise to make sure guests and employees feel safe. 

But this is a problem being felt by residents across Tampa, not just downtown. Many are now calling on Tampa police to stop this trend.

Two gun violence forums have already been held, giving residents a chance to voice their concerns directly to the Tampa Police Department. Acting Interim Chief Ruben Delgado had been the one heading up these events in the past. He said that while there has been a decrease in shootings this year, TPD recognizes that more needs to be done, and they want to work with the community to make those changes. 

Another gun violence forum with Tampa police will be held Monday night, but this time, TPD’s new chief, Mary O’Connor will be leading the meeting. It will be one of the first times the community will get to hear her ideas for solutions that could help fix this problem. 

A previous version of this story stated a shooting happened inside Eden Nightclub.