ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Two 13-year-old boys remain hospitalized Tuesday after they were shot Monday afternoon outside a convenience store, St. Petersburg police report.
Officers are now saying the teens were "targeted" because of a dispute in their neighborhood.
It happened at 4:23 p.m. at 1421 22nd Street S outside the Kay Food Mart.
The two boys were riding one bicycle, one peddling and one on the handlebars, when someone in a white car drove up and shot them, police spokesperson Yolanda Fernandez said.
"Someone in a car drove up, fired shots, hit a couple of vehicles and hit the boys," she said.
The boys were able to get into an alleyway between two buildings until police arrived and began rendering aid. The shooter, who police later said was in a white sedan, drove off.
Both boys were transported to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital where one remains in critical condition but stable. The other boy's condition is considered "stable."
“We don’t know at this time who the target was," Fernandez said Monday before police said the boys were the shooter's targets. "Still, it’s very sad at this point for these two kids and for their families that here we are on a Labor Day holiday and they’re at the hospital with injuries."
Police are asking anyone in the area to check their surveillance or doorbell cameras for footage of the car driving away from the scene.
“This is violence that we don’t need in this community. This community is tired of the violence. They don’t want to see their kids and their children unsafe in the middle of the afternoon on the sidewalk," Fernandez added.
Anyone with information is asked to call 727-893-7780 or to remain anonymous, text "SPPD + your tip" to TIP411.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect both teens are in the hospital as of Tuesday morning. St. Petersburg police said Monday night one had been released but later corrected their statement.