1 dead, 7 injured in string of shootings in Highlands Co.

HIGHLANDS COUNTY (FOX 13) - The number of victims is mounting. One person has been killed and seven others shot, two critically, since Sunday in Highlands County.

The latest bloodshed happened in Sebring a little after midnight on Tuesday.

Investigators say a car drove past Olds Grocery Store on Martin Luther King Blvd. and someone opened fire. A second vehicle, an SUV, may have acted as a lookout.

Ted King, the 56-year-old owner of the store was killed. Two others who were outside the store - 21-year-old Verkiesha Charmaine and 61-year-old Jimmie Olds - were injured.

"Innocent people got shot, senseless murder," King's sister-in-law, Charlene King told FOX 13.

Investigators suspect the Sebring shooting may be related to one just days before in Avon Park.

"Certainly, they could be related because of the timing alone," said Sebring Police Chief Karl Hoglund.

Although detectives have not officially linked the two incidents, many people on the street are convinced that they are related. Investigators say a person of interest in the Avon Park shooting lives in Sebring and may be the connection between the two.

"Retaliation, retaliation," commented Frederick Stoltz, who lives in Avon Park.

On Mother's Day, five young people were injured in a shooting after a graduation party. Heartland Crimestoppers is offering a $2,000 reward for information. Their number is (800) 226-TIPS.