Blog Briefing Room

1 dead, 6 injured in Tampa bar shooting; suspect still at-large, police say

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Six people were injured and one person was killed at a Tampa bar Sunday morning after a fight broke out at closing time, according to Tampa’s police chief.

Chief Mary O’Connor said the shooting happened at around 3 a.m. at the LIT Cigar & Martini Lounge on North Franklin Street.

According to police, the shooting stemmed from a fight between two groups of people that spilled into the street.

O’Connor said that based on information from witnesses, the suspect left the bar and got a gun before firing into the crowd. She said there could be another suspect in the case, although it is unknown if there were multiple gunmen.

“The suspects clearly have a disregard for human life,” she said during a Sunday morning press conference. “They opened fire into a crowd of people that weren’t doing anything more than celebrating right out here on Franklin Street.”


The one fatality was a California man who was visiting Tampa for a wedding. The other six victims, four men and two women, were taken to area hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries.

“We’re currently working with witnesses to develop leads,” O’Connor said. “We have not made any arrests as of yet, but again, we are working with an extreme sense of urgency on this.”

“We’re not going to sleep until we have something concrete to put these violent criminals where they belong,” she added.

O’Connor said there is no public threat at this time.