ST. PETERSBURG, FL – In a devastating incident that occurred on Friday afternoon in St. Petersburg, an 11-year-old boy was fatally shot. Authorities have identified the boy’s 14-year-old brother as the shooter responsible for the death.
Law enforcement officials responded to a reported shooting at a residence on South 43rd Street at approximately 12:15 p.m. The responding officers sadly found the young victim, identified as Amir Williams, had succumbed to a gunshot wound at the scene.
St. Pete Police Assistant Chief Michael Kovacsev expressed the collective shock and grief over the incident, stressing the urgent need for responsible firearm control.
The incident happened on a day when the kids were not in school due to a holiday in Pinellas County. Following the fatal shooting, the victim’s 13-year-old sister called their mother, who got involved in an auto crash while rushing back home, sustaining minor injuries in the process.
Police report that the 14-year-old brother confessed to obtaining the gun, which he insisted he found in a nearby alley unbeknownst to the rest of the family. The gun had been reported stolen from a car earlier on April 24, now posing as evidence under investigation.
Amir Williams, the young victim, was remembered as a joyful and playful child by his grieving family. He was a running back for the St. Pete Little Devils football team and a sixth-grade student at Azalea Middle School.
Kovacsev added that while no immediate charges were being brought against the teenager, future proceedings involving the State Attorney’s Office could alter that.