ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Just days after a 21-year-old mother in St. Pete was shot in front of her young children and city officials pleaded for an end to gun violence, authorities say another mother has been killed.
K’Mia Simmons was shot and killed on March 30. Emily Grot, 35, was shot and killed on April 4.
Police say Simmons and Grot were both mothers of two.
Simmons was in a vehicle with her children, ages one and two, when she was killed. Police say someone fired multiple shots into the vehicle, even hitting one of the children's empty booster seats.
The day after that shooting, Police Chief Anthony Holloway and Mayor Rick Kriseman held a press conference asking for an end to the violence.
Kriseman said as 2020 was a record year for gun violence across the county, St. Pete hit record lows on violent crimes.
"We've done a good job, until now," Kriseman said.
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He pleaded with the community. "Put the guns away. Please."
Holloway said Simmons was not the intended target of the shooting.
“She was not the intended target but that bullet struck and killed her,” said Holloway. “So now those two children do not have a mother.”
Police said the father of one of Simmons' children was in the vehicle with her and ran from the shooting, leaving her and the children alone.
Grot was shot near Wildwood Park on Sunday night. Police say a 17-year-old girl and a man were also shot at that time. Their injuries were not life-threatening.
The call to end the violence in St. Pete isn't a new one. In November, leaders said "enough is enough" after a 23-year-old mother was killed.
Police say Arnieceia Milton was an innocent bystander who was hit when Tyree Bell, 25, shot into a crowd after an argument. Authorities believe his target was Milton's boyfriend.
No arrests have been made for the death of Simmons or Grot, and Bell is still wanted.
Anyone with information on these shootings is asked to call SPPD at 727-893-7780.
Tyree Lamons Bell, age 25, is wanted in the shooting death of Arnieceia Milton, early Sun. in the 1600 block of 16th St. S. Anyone w/ tip leading to an arrest, may be eligible for a reward of up to $3,000, contact Crime Stoppers of Pinellas at 1-800-873-TIPS. pic.twitter.com/bfihGPq8uK
— St. Pete Police (@StPetePD) November 16, 2020
