QUIET NEIGHBORHOOD AWAKENED BY THE SOUND OF SHOTS.
On December 22, before 3 a.m., residents on Hazy Sea Drive in the North Park Isle development awoke to the sound of several gunshots. Those who spoke about the incident did so on the condition of anonymity.
“This has mostly been a very quiet neighborhood. It has been a perfect community,” one person said.
“The neighbors have been great,” said another resident.
A different neighbor moved from Pinellas County to escape crime and rising costs—viewing Plant City as a quiet, agricultural community.
The following account was corroborated by several residents in the neighborhood.
After the shots several neighbors heard someone on Hazy Sea Drive yelling outside that he had been shot, and needed help. Some neighbors were awakened by someone pounding on their front doors yelling for help. Several neighbors exited their homes to give aid.
Hearing the commotion, Neighbor #1 assumed there could be a break in or auto theft. He exited his residence with a rifle equipped with tactical lighting. He scanned the street with the light and found someone saying he was shot, and hiding behind a car a few doors away. Neighbor #1 asked the hiding person if he was armed. The hiding person said he was armed, but then tossed a pistol a few feet away from himself onto the driveway. Neighbor #1 asked the person not to touch his gun or move. Residents called 911. Plant City Police Department officers arrived on the scene in short order and took control of the situation. Among the actions officers took were to handcuff Neighbor #1 until they could ascertain he had not been an aggressor in the situation—then they released him.
The next day, residents found a bullet hole through an air conditioning unit, one through a patio gazebo, bullet gouges on one window frame, and two bullet gouges on a wall—one near the tank of a propane grill, and the other six feet from a window.
PCPD released this statement about the incident: “On December 22, 2024, at approximately 2:50 a.m., Plant City police officers responded to a report of gunfire. Upon arrival, officers interviewed witnesses, canvassed the area and collected evidence. No injuries were reported. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Plant City Police Department at (813) 757-9200.”
