TAMPA, Fla — The mother of a little girl killed by gunfire in Tampa over the weekend is begging whoever pulled the trigger to turn themselves in.
Tampa police say they’re working leads, but still need more help from the community to find whoever shot and killed 4-year-old Suni Bell.
So on Thursday, seven teams went door to door distributing flyers and leaflets asking for tips or information in the very same neighborhood where Bell was killed.
“We feel people in the community know what happened to Suni on Sunday night,” said Tampa Police Maj. Mike Stout.
“It’s getting worse and worse. And that was a real tragedy,” said Ambria Pole, who lives in one of the apartment complexes police visited. “I actually heard the shots. I was sitting right in my living room.”
“It’s sad,” said neighbor Ronisha Cotton. “I’ve been crying. I don’t even know this baby.”
Bell was killed at around 9 p.m. on Sunday near the intersection of 43rd St. and Hillsborough Avenue.
Police say someone following her mother’s Silver infinity sedan shot at the car which then crashed into a pole. Suni was rushed to the hospital but died.
“I just want justice for my daughter. That’s it,” said Mary Harrison. “I just want you guys to turn yourselves in. And get it over with.”
Since the shooting, there’s been a vigil in the little girl’s memory, a march for peace in the same neighborhood, and a reward of nearly $10,000 offered for information leading to an arrest.
“It’s not that we aren’t getting leads or tips,” said Maj. Stout. “We just that we haven’t gotten the right lead or tip.”
That’s why police were back out in the neighborhood Thursday, hoping the flyer with Suni’s picture might either jog someone’s memory or stir someone’s conscience enough for them to come forward.
“I doubt very seriously that their intention was to kill a four-year-old. But we need to talk,” said Stout “They need to come in.”
“We can’t sleep at night. We haven’t eaten anything,” said Drial Bell, Suni’s grandmother. “Just, please if you have any answers to anything please - please.”