TAMPA, Fla. — Protesters in Hillsborough County want to hold officials accountable after an undercover sheriff's deputy hit and killed a teenager.
“Justice for Josiah,” they chanted as they marched down the same road where 15-year-old Josiah Pinner was killed Friday night.
Detectives said Pinner was crossing Florida Avenue near 124th Avenue with a friend outside of the crosswalk. An undercover deputy in an unmarked car swerved to avoid the friend and hit Pinner, investigators said.
Investigators say Pinner was crossing the street with a friend outside of the crosswalk. An undercover deputy in an unmarked car swerved to avoid the friend and hit Pinner.
“It's not fair, and we're not going to stop until we get justice,” said Damien Foster, the friend with Pinner at the time of the crash.
Foster described what he remembered.
“At first it was like all the way down there,” he said, pointing down Florida Avenue. “He was going normal, like 30 miles per hour, and then it sped up to 85, and he hit my best friend.”
In the week following the crash, rumors are swirling. The sheriff's department hasn't answered questions about how fast the deputy was going, and they haven't identified him.
Seeking answers, protesters marched down Florida Avenue to the nearest Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office substation. Deputies provided an escort.
At the substation, investigators provided an update.
“There will be no stone unturned when we're looking to gather the facts,” Col. Kyle Robinson said.
With protesters outside, detectives said they're still investigating, and they’re looking into whether the deputy was speeding. He's taking time off and getting counseling, as protesters grow impatient.
Investigators said the reason they aren't releasing the deputy's name is because he works undercover. They said Sheriff Chad Chronister personally called the victim's family to offer his condolences.
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