TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Police are continuing their search for suspects as they investigate the city's latest homicide, a shooting at the 813 Hookah Lounge early Sunday.
- Man taken to local hospital; declared dead
- Police have no suspects or motive
- Get more Hillsborough County coverage
According to the Tampa Police Department, officers arrived at the 813 Hookah Lounge at 4809 East Busch Boulevard at around 4:04 a.m. to discover a man, Andre Hope, 29, shot.
Hope was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, police confirmed.
Investigators have questioned a few witnesses, but have made no arrests.
"We know that there were a number of people outside of the hookah lounge when this happened, so we're looking for some more help," said police spokesperson Steve Hegarty. "Right now we don't have the kind of leads that we need."
Authorities stated that they have no suspects or motive for the shooting at the moment.
Jasmyne Padgett, a longtime friend of Hope's, told us she didn't believe the news until she confirmed it with Hope's girlfriend.
"I literally was just stuck," Padgett told us. "I didn't know what to say, I didn't know what to do."
Padgett went on to describe Hope as kind and generous person who even took her and her daughter in when they had nowhere to go.
"He had a great spirit," she said. "He was a big teddy bear. Everybody loved him. He had a lot of friends."
"I want to see justice," Padgett added. "I want to see someone step up and say, 'ok, I know what happened.'"
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-873-8477.