TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Police Department (TPD) said no criminal charges will be filed after a 15-year-old was shot while allegedly attempting to find a lost phone.
The shooting happened on Sept. 20 in the 13000 block of River Willow Place.
Tampa Bay 28 reporter Haley Zarcone was at River Willow Place on Sept. 20 and talked to residents. See full report
TPD said the 15-year-old had lost his cell phone after leaving a local establishment on Sept. 12. The next day, the teen and his friends used the tracking technology on his phone and it was located in the general area of River Willow Place.
The 15-year-old then went to the community through an open gate with a group to look for the phone.
TPD said the group went door to door asking residents if they had found the phone.
After no one answered the front door of one residence, the group went to the back door of a 20-year-old man's residence.
TPD said the resident saw the group attempting to access his back patio sliding glass door. The man put on a mask and armed himself to scare the group; the others ran from the area, but the 15-year-old stayed behind.
TPD said the teen and the man got into a physical fight and the 20-year-old was put in a headlock. The man shot the 15-year-old after being in fear for his life, TPD said.
The State Attorney's Office reviewed the case and said the facts did not support filing criminal charges.
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