BARTOW, Fla. — The Polk County Sheriff's Office is searching for a shooter after a Bartow man was killed while riding a dirt bike on Sunday afternoon.
The victim, an unnamed 34-year-old, was riding on Wheeler Street. The sheriff's office said deputies were called to the area just after 2 p.m. in reference to a dirt bike crash.
First responders discovered the man had a gunshot wound and transported him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
PCSO said an autopsy revealed the man was shot in the lower right back, and the bullet traveled through his kidney, diaphragm and lung.
“At this early stage of the investigation, we don’t know why the victim was murdered," Sheriff Grady Judd said. "Somebody out there has information, even the smallest detail that could help us capture the killer. A family has lost a loved one, and we need to bring his killer to justice.”
Witnesses told authorities they heard at least one gunshot in the area.
Anyone with information on the deadly shooting is asked to call the sheriff's office at 863-298-6200.
Anonymous tips can be made to Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS (8477), and if an arrest is made based on a tip, the tipster would be eligible for a $3,000 reward.
