THE WASHINGTON POST – A seven-year-old was killed by a stray bullet when a dispute between two groups of people turned violent.
The shooting, recounted by Tampa Deputy Police Chief Calvin Johnson in a news conference, was one of several deadly bouts of gunfire over the Independence Day holiday – many of which, like in Tampa, involved bystanders caught by stray bullets.
Yitzian Yzacc Torres García went to the lookout along the Courtney Campbell Causeway in Tampa with his grandfather to watch fireworks when the pops of distant fireworks turned to cracks of gunfire, right at the water’s edge. A dispute between two groups of people suddenly turned violent. They drew guns and began shooting at each other, according to Johnson.
Yitzian’s grandfather grabbed the boy and pulled him inside a truck when the shooting started. As they sheltered there, a stray bullet pierced the vehicle and hit Yitzian’s grandfather’s finger. It then struck Yitzian in the head, killing him.
Now Yitzian’s family members joined those across the country grappling with heartache after gunfire erupted from a mundane argument to upend their lives on a night of celebration.
A spokesperson for the Tampa Police Department said detectives are still investigating the case and had not publicly identified any suspects.
Witnesses told officers the shooting started between two groups of people at the causeway who were arguing about jet skis, Johnson said.
