PALM RIVER-CLAIR MEL, Fla. — A deadly shooting in Tampa's Palm River-Clair Mel area prompted two nearby schools to adopt "lock-in" status on Thursday morning.
Hillsborough County deputies responded to a shooting at 10:40 a.m. in front of the Get-N-Go on Rideout Road near S 78th Street.
When they arrived, deputies said they found three people with what appeared to be gunshot wounds. One man was pronounced dead and two others were taken to Tampa General Hospital to undergo surgery.
The sheriff's office said a man approached deputies a short time later to say he was involved in the shooting. He is currently being interviewed as a person of interest.
The shooting caused both Clair Mel Elementary School and Dowdell Middle School to be put under "lock-in" status for several hours. The schools are no longer locked in and no students were involved in the shooting, according to the sheriff's office.
"This violent scene unfolded within feet of an elementary and middle school," Sheriff Chad Chonister said in a statement. "This disregard for human safety, especially our children, is infuriating. Our detectives and deputies will get to the bottom of this crime.”
The investigation is ongoing.