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Christopher Stamat Jr was arrested on Saturday, October 8, for shooting a family sleeping in their car last week, Tampa police said in a press release.
On Wednesday, October 5, at around 4:30 am, Christopher Stamat Jr reportedly shot a homeless family of five sleeping in their car in Tampa Park.
In a press release, the Tampa Police Department said that they arrested the 21-year-old suspect after a surveillance video captured his car on N. Oregon Ave. at the time of the shooting. No casualties were reported in the incident.
The New York Post reported that a father in his 30s and a pregnant mother in her 20s were in the vehicle at the time of the attack. While the father was unharmed, a bullet grazed the pregnant woman's head. She was rushed to a hospital, where she was treated for minor injuries.
According to the outlet, their children, a 9-year-old girl, a 4-year-old boy, and a 3-year-old girl were also sleeping in the car. However, they were unharmed during the shooting.
Christopher Statmat Jr. fired more than a dozen shots at the scene
Tampa Police said the suspect was reportedly driving a black 2-door 300 series 2012 BMW when he opened fire in the early hours of Wednesday. Christopher Stamat Jr fired more than a dozen shots before he fled the scene.
After reviewing the video, police traced the location of the car to the garage of a home on the 3200 block of Marcellus Circle in Tampa. They then obtained a search warrant for the suspect’s vehicle and residence, where they found shell casings that matched those at the crime scene. Police also uncovered an empty gun box for a 9mm handgun in his car.
According to NBC News, police at a press conference said that Stamat was first arrested for possession of marijuana early on Saturday. However, the suspect was later released on bond. The police were then able to make an arrest that afternoon after amassing sufficient evidence to establish a concrete case against him.
Christopher Stamat Jr did not know the victims of the shooting
Following the arrest, Christopher Stamat Jr was charged with four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of shooting into a vehicle, and one count of second-degree attempted murder.
In a press release, Tampa Police Chief Mary O'Connor issued the following statement:
"Our community as a whole can sleep easier tonight knowing that the suspect linked to this monstrous, random act of violence is no longer free to prey on innocent people. I cannot thank or commend our detectives enough for working so quickly to identify and arrest this suspect."
While the police remained unclear on the motive, they did say that Stamat believed he was being stalked by people in vehicles, on bikes, and on foot. However, the police said they had no reason to believe that the suspect and the victims were acquainted with each other.
