TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Police are searching for a person who fatally shot a 16-year-old at a Tampa McDonald’s Tuesday night.
Police responded to a shooting at the McDonald’s on North Armenia Avenue just before 9 p.m. Tuesday and found the teen deceased on the ground in the parking lot.
Police said the teen, who was not identified, had been a suspect in an armed robbery that occurred in Tampa, and they believe he was firing shots before he was killed.
“What we have found out since then is this 16-year-old deceased individual is a suspect in an armed robbery that we are currently investigating,” O’Connor said.
He was seen with a group of people before the shooting, but they ran away from the scene when the shots were fired, and left him behind, according to police.
“They ran off. We don’t even have them identified of who they were. He was with a group of three other people,” said Tampa Police Chief Mary O’Connor.
Police said the teen suffered a gunshot wound to his chest, and there was a 9mm handgun and several shell casings next to his body.
No arrests have been made at this time. Police are asking anyone with information about the shooting to call detectives at 813-231-6130 or share information through Tip411, which can be
found on the Tampa PD app.
“Another child making a very bad decision with firearms,” O’Connor said. “We can’t have this violent crime going on at 8:30 at night, on a weeknight, at a busy intersection, where there is people going to a fast food restaurant.”
“We need the community to know that children and a gun are a very bad mix, so we need parents to know that if they have a firearm in their home, to make sure it doesn’t get into the hands of their children, make sure it’s secured.” O’Connor added. “Search your children’s backpacks, search your children’s rooms, make sure that these firearms are not ending up in the hands of children who really can’t make good decisions with a gun.”