A 7-year-old boy was killed and his grandfather injured after witnesses say a dispute over reckless jet ski driving led to a shootout in Florida, according to authorities.
The Tampa Police Department said the shooting occurred around 8:30 p.m. local time Tuesday along the Courtney Campbell Causeway west of Ben T. Davis Beach, police said in a news release Wednesday.
“When officers arrived, they found a 7-year-old victim with a gunshot wound to his head and the victim’s grandfather who suffered a gunshot wound to his hand,” police said in the news release.
According to witnesses, a “verbal altercation ensued between two groups” over reckless jet ski driving near an area where children were playing in the water. The dispute escalated when some members of each group began shooting at each other, police said.
“During the shooting, the grandfather was attempting to shield his 7-year-old grandson from the gunfire when they both were struck,” police said.
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Grandfather pulled child inside truck when a bullet went through the vehicle
In a news conference Wednesday, Tampa Police Department Deputy Chief Calvin Johnson said the grandfather grabbed the 7-year-old boy and pulled him into a truck when he heard the gunfire.
“When they were inside the vehicle, a round went through the vehicle, hit the grandfather in the finger and the young man in the head,” Johnson said in the news conference.
Johnson said the child was transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Tampa police are asking anyone who may have information on the case to call the department. Detectives are still investigating, police said.
