WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — A shootout between people in two cars in Polk County left one man dead and others injured early Sunday morning.
Around 1:13 a.m., four men left a bowling alley in a silver Toyota Camry and drove toward MLK Boulevard, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd explained at a news conference on Sunday.
The 26-year-old driver, 20-year-old front passenger, and two 17-year olds were traveling on the road when an unknown dark-colored sedan, with at least two men inside, pulled up next to them, the sheriff said.
Immediately, the two cars reportedly started what Judd called a "running gun battle."
People in the two cars shot back and forth at each other while continuing to drive down the road, the sheriff explained. Eventually, the Camry eased off to the side of the road, ending the shooting.
"What we find is not good," Judd said.
The 20-year-old front passenger, who had an AR strapped around him with another gun in his waist, was shot eight times and died at the scene of the shooting, according to the sheriff.
"You've heard the old saying, 'If you live by the sword, you'll die by the sword,'" Judd said. "This 20-year-old young man, really a kid, was living with a gun and died because of a gun."
The other three people are reportedly in critical condition at the hospital after being shot multiple times.
After the shooting, the dark-colored sedan continued driving and eventually arrived at the Winter Haven Hospital, Judd explained. A 21-year-old man in critical condition with gunshot wounds was dropped off for treatment.
The person driving the dark-colored sedan then drove away.
"None of this should happen," Judd said. "Young men aren't supposed to die and get shot up by other young men. And we're absolutely... going to investigate this and hold the people that are responsible for the shooting accountable, that's a guarantee."
The sheriff's office is asking for the community's help in finding the dark-colored sedan that was involved in the shooting. It has since been identified and described as a four-door blue sedan with a sunroof, possibly a Lexus IS 250 sedan between 2006 and 2013.
"We're going to solve this with or without the community, but I want you to know this, there's a lot of money available through Crime Stoppers if you give us information, and you don't even have to give us your name," he said.
While investigating the shooting, the sheriff's office helicopter spotted a silver car "slinking around" in the area, according to Judd. When Winter Haven police tried to pull the car over, it drove away.
After police chased the car for a while, two men jumped out of the silver car and started to run, the sheriff says. Eventually, they were both arrested and officers found a discarded gun.
What police didn't know was there was another person in the silver car, Judd explained. The car drove away from the scene and was later found "burnt up" on the complete other side of Winter Haven.
"Are they the retaliation group or did they just happen to be there slinking around...while we were looking for the others?" Judd questioned.
There is an ongoing investigation into the shooting.
Anyone with information can call the Polk County Sheriff's Office at 863-298-6200 or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-8477. You can also submit your tip online here.