A child and an adult were injured in a double shooting incident in St. Petersburg, police reported. The shooting occurred just after 7 p.m. yesterday outside a residence on 15th Street South. A woman identified by St. Petersburg Police as Yolanda Fernandez stated, "As far as we know, what we have is a 40-year-old man and a 10-year-old little boy that were out here in the street in front of these houses and somehow they were struck by gunshots," according to WFLA.
The victims, an adult man, and his young nephew were in front of a home on the 1400 block when they were hit, authorities detailed. The two were playing basketball at the time of the shooting. Both were transported to a local hospital, where the man's injuries were deemed non-life-threatening, but the child was initially listed in very critical condition. The status of the boy has since improved to stable condition, FOX 13 News reported.
Following the incident, police arrested 18-year-old Antwon Jones, linking him to the gunfire. Jones allegedly fired shots at another group during a conflict, but missed, and instead hit the uncle and nephew, ABC Action News relayed. He now faces two counts of attempted felony murder, one count of delinquent in possession of a firearm, and two counts of a controlled substance, including ecstasy and cocaine.
In light of the tragic event, Fernandez expressed the difficulty first responders face in these scenarios, "Well, it’s hard enough to come to any kind of a scene where you have somebody who’s critically injured, let alone a child, because, you know, that’s really tough for everybody involved — for all the first responders to have to deal with that." She added, "Hopefully in this case, the quick action with the police officers and the paramedics, hopefully, that will make a difference," ABC Action News reported.
While the man has been released from the hospital, the child remains hospitalized but in stable condition. The St. Petersburg Police Department continues to investigate the shooting and urges anyone with further information or video related to the case to contact them at 727-893-7780.
