TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Police Department is investigating a deadly shooting that left a 12-year-old dead and a 14-year-old injured.
What You Need To Know
- Police were called to a home on the 2600 block of E 111th Avenue just before 2 p.m. Sunday
- A 12-year-old was found dead inside
- The incident hit close to home for Alicia Randall. Her son was shot on New Years Day
- Interim police Chief Lee Bercaw said the first key is limiting access
Police said they were called to a home on the 2600 block of E 111th Avenue just before 2 p.m. Sunday. Officers found the 12-year-old dead inside the home with a gunshot wound.
The second teenage victim was also found with a gunshot wound. That victim was rushed to the hospital and is in stable condition.
The investigation is still in its early stages, so the details about how a gun got into the hands of someone inside of a home filled with children and no adults still hasn’t been answered.
It’s the same kind of news Alicia Randall got about her son on New Years Day.
Her 16-year-old son was shot in the chest in a separate shooting in downtown Tampa a week ago by a suspect who investigators say is just 13 years old. Her son is recovering in the hospital.
“Well, he died on the scene,” Randall said. “They brought him back and they did the best they can do. Thank God for that.”,
It’s senseless violence that she just can’t wrap her head around.
“I want to know why and where did he actually get the gun from and why he actually shot my son,” she said.
Tampa police want this to serve as a reminder to parents and gun owners to take extra precautions when it comes to securing their weapons
"One of them is obvious. It’s access,” said interim Chief Lee Bercaw. “And that’s what we need is to restrict the access.”
He said a gun lock is the first measure. They are given out for free at the police department.
Alicia says parents can also take it a step further to help protect their children and prevent other mothers from joining a club no one wants to be a part of.
“I think all the parents should come together as one,” she said. And let’s meet at a park or somewhere and see what can we do to help our children.”
A release by the Tampa Police Department states the victims, who did not live at the home, were inside with other minors at the time of Sunday's shooting. Detectives said their preliminary investigation found the incident to not be random, and that no adults were home.