TAMPA, Fla. — Yitzian Torres Garcia should be celebrating his 8th birthday with family on Friday, Aug. 4.
Instead, a $15,000 reward is being offered to find whoever is responsible for his death, according to the Tampa Police Department.
Yitzian was killed exactly one month ago on July 4 near the Courtney Campbell Causeway. He was from Puerto Rico and was visiting his grandparents for the July 4 holiday. His death happened shortly after an argument started between two groups of men over reckless driving of a Jet Ski near an area where kids were playing in the water.
That argument escalated into shots being fired between the two groups. Yitzian's grandfather, Juan Carlos Hernandez, was shot in the hand as he tried to protect the little boy from the bullets.
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Despite his grandfather's efforts, Yitzian was shot in the head. He was rushed to the hospital where he died a short time later.
"The thoughts and prayers of our department and the entire community are with the Torres Garcia family as they hold a memorial service for Yitzian in Puerto Rico today," Chief Lee Bercaw said in a statement. "Our detectives have been working tirelessly to identify and arrest the suspects in this case and we will not stop until there is justice for Yitzian and his family."
During a news conference Friday, Bercaw said detectives have received hundreds of tips, but they are still looking for more information.
"There may be somebody out there that has a cell phone video of this event that they thought maybe didn't contain enough details to share with us," he said, in part. "We are asking anyone with anything out there to share it with us. In addition, if you're a witness and didn't come forward, now is the time to come forward."
After Yitzian's death, Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay initially offered a $5,500 reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever is responsible for the 7-year-old's death. Now, it's been doubled to $10,000. An additional $5,000 for tips leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible is also being offered by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
In order to be eligible for the reward, people must submit their tips through the Crime Stoppers program, which can be reached at 800-873-TIPS or online here.
"It just takes that one tip that has that crucial detail on it that's going to help the detectives solve this case and help bring justice to this family." Kelly McLaren, the executive director of Crimestoppers of Tampa Bay said.