7-Year-Old Fatally Shot Amid Jet Skis Argument

Boy in Tampa hit by stray bullet as his grandfather tried to shield him
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 6, 2023 10:27 AM CDT
7-Year-Old Fatally Shot Amid Jet Skis Argument
Stock image.   (Getty / rajatk)

A 7-year-old boy in Tampa lost his life because two groups of people arguing over jet skis started shooting at each other, say police. The boy was hit by a stray bullet after his grandfather pulled him into his pickup truck when the shooting began, reports CBS News. The bullet struck the grandfather's finger and then struck the boy in the head, said Tampa Police Deputy Chief Calvin Johnson. "There was no reason, no excuse, for that argument to lead to gunfire, much less an argument over jet skis," Johnson said. No arrests have been made as the investigation continues.

The shooting took place about 8:30pm Tuesday along the Courtney Campbell Causeway near Ben T. Davis Beach, per USA Today. Police say one group of people got angry at jet skiers they felt were riding too close to children in the water. The ensuing argument escalated to gunfire, at which point the grandfather pulled the boy into the pickup in an attempt to keep him safe. "We have a society that at times, they don't know the impact of gun violence affects generations," said the police chief, per the Miami Herald. "You may shoot somebody's father, somebody's 7-year-old, that's going to affect that family and friends the rest of their lives, and we need to do better as people." (More Florida stories.)

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