TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Police are investigating after a 4-year-old child was shot and killed in Tampa.
According to police, the shooting happened along Hillsborough Avenue near 43rd Street on Sunday around 9 p.m.
“The suspect(s) shot at a vehicle while traveling along Hillsborough Avenue with a child inside of the car,” police said.
Eight On Your Side has learned the child is 4-year-old Sunni Bell.
Police said Bell was hit by a bullet and rushed to a hospital, where she later died. Police said the shooting does not appear to be random, and a motive is still under investigation.
“We have got to stop the violence in our city. When I was the chief of police back in 2015, we averaged in the low twenties in homicides. There are twenty-six homicides in Tampa so far this year,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said.
Castor added it will take everyone in the city of Tampa to stop these violent shootings from occurring.
“People know who have the guns, they know who’s doing these shootings and until it personally affects them, they’re not coming forward. This is our responsibility to stop this violence,” Castor said.
Tampa Police Assistant Chief Ruben Delgado said the agency has leads but needs more and believes someone saw what happened.
