TAMPA, Fla. - One year has passed, and the memorial along the Courtney Campbell Causeway remains for 7-year-old Yotzian Torres Garcia, who was shot and killed last 4th of July.
Despite a year’s worth of work on the investigation, homicide detectives with Tampa Police say they still need more help.
"We have hundreds of tips, but we're looking for more," said Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw during a June news conference. "We do believe that there are more out there."
One day before the anniversary of Yitzian’s death, his family is set to join Tampa Police and Crimestoppers as they announce an increase in reward money for information leading to an arrest in the case.
The FBI and ATF have added $5,000 each to the previous reward of $15,000 for a total of $25,000.
On July 4, 2023, Juan Carlos Hernandez said he took his grandson, Yitzian Torres Garcia, to an area about two miles west of Ben T. Davis Beach in Tampa to celebrate the Fourth of July by watching fireworks.
Not long after the grandfather and grandson arrived, people nearby began shooting. Hernandez grabbed Yitzian, pulled him into his pickup truck, and jumped on top of him to try to protect him.
The bullet pierced the truck, hit Hernandez in the hand and Yitzian in the head, killing him.
Police investigate after the fatal shooting
"It's been hard," Hernandez explained to cameras earlier this year. "And it's still, you know, hurt on our hearts because we don't have nobody to pay for this."
According to the Tampa Police Department, the dispute was about how close one group was jet skiing to the other group.
The press conference is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday.