A 7-year-old boy was killed Tuesday night when a stray bullet during an argument on the Courtney Campbell Causeway struck him and his grandfather as they celebrated the Fourth of July party, police said.
Police responded to a call of a shooting in the 8500 block of the causeway, west of Ben T. Davis Beach, and determined the shooting occurred about 100 feet from a ramp to ships in that area, said Calvin Johnson, deputy chief of investigations and support. at a press conference on Wednesday.
When the shooting started, a man grabbed his 7-year-old grandson, pulled him into his truck and tried to shield him from the gunfire, Johnson said. While inside the truck, a stray bullet hit the grandfather’s finger and then the boy’s head.
The boy was taken to Hospital Sant Josep, where he died. Grandpa is expected to survive.
Witnesses told police the shooting happened after two groups of people began arguing over a personal watercraft, Johnson said. One group was upset because the people in the other group were operating the boat too close to the shore where the children were playing. During the argument, the group became agitated, got out of the water, and the altercation escalated when some members of each group started shooting each other, according to police.
Police have not made any arrests and investigators were working to identify the suspects who opened fire, Johnson said. Detectives do not believe the child was the intended target.
“There was no reason, no excuse for an argument to lead to gunfire, let alone an argument about jet skis,” Johnson said. “Now we have citizens, we have families, we have people in our communities that have to deal with this tragic incident that happened on the Fourth of July.”
Johnson asked anyone with information about the incident to come forward and for everyone involved to turn themselves in.
He also expressed his indignation at the armed violence in the country and in the city.
“We have a society that sometimes doesn’t know that the impact of gun violence affects generations,” Johnson said. “Maybe shooting somebody’s father, somebody’s 7-year-old boy, that’s going to affect that family and friends for the rest of their lives.”
Violence often engulfs people who weren’t initially involved, Johnson said.
“When people are careless with their firearms and let that anger take over, we’re seeing what happens now,” Johnson said. “These innocent bystanders become victims of something they knew nothing about.”
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call 813-231-6130. To remain anonymous, send a tip to Crime Stoppers at 800-873-TIPS (8477).
