Teen Killed in Tampa After Searching for Lost Phone Leads to Fatal Shooting
A 15-year-old boy was fatally shot by a masked gunman while trying to locate a lost cellphone at a townhome complex in Tampa.
Two Sundays ago, three Tampa teens used a phone-locator to track a missing cellphone to a townhome complex off Fletcher Avenue near I-75. After the first two homes denied having the device, a masked shooter appeared from the back of the third house and began firing as the boys ran away. Fifteen-year-old Heitor Amaral was struck several times and died at the location.
His sister Maysa Amaral and mother Yessenia Gonzalez say there was no fight and the teens were unarmed. Tampa police responded around 1:15 p.m., took the surviving youths’ phones, and have yet to identify or charge the shooter. The Hillsborough State Attorney’s Office has not received the case for review, and a GoFundMe page has been set up to cover funeral expenses.
