ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A man is dead after he was hit by a vehicle early Monday morning in St. Petersburg, police said. Officers say the driver responsible didn't stay at the scene and that the act was deliberate.
Police say officers were called around 2:39 a.m. to the intersection of 7th Avenue South and 12th Street after getting reports of a man lying in the road.
First responders were called to assist, but the man died at the crash site. Police later identified the man as 35-year-old Taiwan Gland.
Police say they learned he had been hit by an "unknown vehicle." Police added that investigators are looking for any video from the crash.
During the preliminary investigation, police said investigators learned the driver "deliberately" struck Gland. His death is now being investigated as a homicide.
According to family at the scene on Monday, Taiwan Gland was in that area of St. Petersburg on Sunday to attend a vigil for his son, Taiwan Gland Jr., who was shot and killed outside the nearby Citrus Groves Apartments on Friday.
St. Petersburg Police confirmed the men are father and son. They said, right now, it's too soon to speculate as to whether the crimes are related.
"This is still very early in the investigation," St. Petersburg Police Spokesperson Yolanda Hernandez said. "We're not sure where it's going to lead us, so at this point, we can't say with any confidence that the two cases are related. That could change as the investigation moves forward."
The intersection was closed until roughly noon on Monday. Campbell Park Elementary School is near the crash site.
Anyone with information about this crash is asked to call St. Petersburg Police at 727-893-7780 or text SPPD and their tip to TIP411.