St. Pete police are looking for the person or people who shot a 3-year-old and a 23-year-old in broad daylight Thursday. Police say it was a drive by shooting that happened just before 2 p.m. on 10th Avenue South and 12th Street south.
Both victims were taken to the hospital and are expected to recover. Now with possibly several gunmen still on the loose neighbors tell ABC Action News they’re worried.
“it was like pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, but it was muffled a little bit,” Neighbors asking to hide their identity say they were shocked to hear gunshots in the middle of the day Thursday. One mom told us she thought it was fireworks. She soon realized it was in fact gunshots and rushed outside. Police say 23-year-old Holliman was standing outside on a porch with a 3-year-old girl when they were both hit by bullets in a drive by shooting.
Police are now looking for a four door white car believed to be Dodge Challenger. They roped off the house and spent hours searching for evidence. We’re told they don't know how many people were inside that car or if more than one person fired the shots.
Neighbors tell ABC Action News, they heard dozens of gunshots. One neighbor says Holliman was trying to protect the 3-year old when he was shot. “I walked outside and everybody was screaming. The guy that got shot was screaming. I felt helpless. I wanted to do something and I couldn’t.”
St. Pete’s police chief and the mayor responded to the scene as well. Kriseman says he’s outraged a toddler was caught in the crossfire.
“To the person who did this who is a coward and would shoot a child, we’re going to find you, we’re going prosecute you and we’re going to put you away.”
Police say Holliman is a neighbor who often hangs out at the house.
Tonight we’re learning he was in a similar situation just last January. Police say he was shot in the back during a drive by while riding his bike on 14 Ave South and 19th St. Police say that case is still under investigation and so far no arrests have been made.
Police haven’t said if the two shootings are connected but say Thursday’s shooting was not a random act of violence.
Mayor Kriseman says the gun violence has to stop and retribution isn’t the answer. “It’s not making your community better. and its just putting kids at risk, and we can’t keep doing that,” he said.
The mayor says he’s working with police and the city council to try to come up with a way to fix several issues in South St. Pete which include gun violence, education and poverty.
Anyone with information about today’s drive by shooting is asked to call St. Pete Police.
