Grandparents of 7-year-old killed on Courtney Campbell Causeway plead for justice: ‘These people have to pay’
TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa grandparents pleaded for justice Wednesday after their 7-year-old grandson was shot and killed by a stray bullet as an argument between two nearby groups erupted in gunfire along the Courtney Campbell Causeway in Tampa.
Juan Carlos Hernandez said he took his grandson, Yitzian Torres Garcia, to an area about two miles west of Ben T. Davis Beach to celebrate the Fourth of July by watching fireworks.
Not long after the grandfather and grandson arrived, people close by began shooting. Hernandez grabbed Yitzian, pulled him into his pickup truck and jumped on top of him to try to protect him. The bullet pierced the truck, hit Hernandez in the hand and Yitzian in the head, killing him.
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The 7-year-old's grandfather was shot in the hand while trying to protect the boy from gunfire. A stray bullet, though, pierced his pickup truck, hitting the grandfather's hand and the child's head.
"I love him, too much," Hernandez, who lost a finger trying to protect his grandson, said through tears Wednesday. "I just feel like I'm going to see my kid again, but I know it's not going to happen."
According to the Tampa Police Department, the dispute was about how close one group was jet skiing to the other group. TPD's Deputy Chief Calvin Johnson was furious during a Wednesday morning news conference.
"We're talking about a stray bullet. I'm sure the young child wasn't the intended target. But when folks are careless with their firearms, and they let that anger take over, and now we see what occurs. These innocent bystanders become a victim to something they knew nothing about," Johnson said, while urging those responsible to turn themselves in. "Your actions and your anger, it led to a seven-year-old, just starting his life, getting killed, because you were angry over a jet ski."
Full news conference: Tampa Police update on 7-year-old killed on Courtney Campbell Causeway
On July 4, a child was shot on the Courtney Campbell Causeway after investigators believe two groups got into a fight over jet skis that led to gunfire. Calvin Johnson, Deputy Chief of Investigations and Support, is asking for anyone with information to come forward.
Yitzian's grandparents, who were so close with him, they referred to him as their son, told FOX 13 their grandson was visiting from out-of-state during his summer vacation and had been staying with them for about three weeks.
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"We just want justice for him. We want people to catch who did this to him. He was only seven years old. He had nothing to do with this," said Marisol Ayala, Yitzian's grandmother. "Help us find these people, please, because my baby is not going to come back to us. We need justice for him. These people have to pay."
The 7-year-old's sister Yeisleen Candelario said Yitzian was happy and loving and wishes she could have her brother back.
"I wish I could’ve gone back in time and stopped him from going there," Candelario said.
"Why do you have to take out a gun," Yitzian's aunt, Stephanie Arroyo Garcia, said. "There are a lot of families there. There’s no room for this."
As of late Wednesday, police were still looking for the shooter or shooters and urging witnesses and anyone with information to come forward. Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Yitzian's family, meanwhile, has launched an online fundraiser to support his loved ones.