TAMPA, Fla. – A brazen act of gun violence shattered the late afternoon calm in a Tampa neighborhood today, leaving one man dead and a community reeling. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) is actively investigating a homicide that unfolded near the intersection of Progress Boulevard and South 82nd Street, claiming the life of a passenger in what Sheriff Chad Chronister decried as a “tragic loss of life.”
The deadly incident occurred at approximately 4:19 p.m. when deputies responded to frantic calls about a shooting. According to authorities, a female driver with a child in the backseat and the eventual victim in the passenger seat stopped to talk with the suspect at the intersection. Without warning, the suspect opened fire on the vehicle.
In a desperate attempt to escape the barrage of bullets, the driver fled the scene. During their escape, the vehicle struck a motorized bicyclist, who fortunately sustained only minor injuries. The vehicle continued to a nearby Thorntons convenience store, seeking immediate help for the fatally wounded passenger…