Teen Shot And Killed At McDonald's Parking Lot In Florida

A 16-year-old boy lost his life in a shooting incident at a McDonald's in Florida. A large police presence was seen surrounding the fast food joint in Tampa after the boy was found Tuesday night.

Officers arrived at the McDonald's on North Armenia Avenue shortly after 8:30 p.m. following the report of a shooting in the parking lot, WTSP reported.

The boy had sustained a gunshot wound to his upper body and was found lying on the ground with a gun and several shell casings next to him, the Tampa Police Department said.

Witnesses told officers that the teen was with three other juveniles during the incident.

A car with other people pulled up and exchanged gunfire with the boy and his friends, Police Chief Mary O'Connor said during a news conference Wednesday morning.

The teenager was shot once in the shootout. His three friends left him behind and fled the scene, O'Connor added.

"Witnesses advised that the victim was walking through the south side of the parking lot with a group of others just prior to the shooting when the sound of gunshots were heard, and an unknown vehicle fled the scene," read the police department's statement.

It is currently unclear who fired the shot that killed the juvenile. The police department said none of the witnesses saw the shooter.

"Another child with a gun deceased," O'Connor said in light of a series of shootings involving teenagers, as quoted by Spectrum Bay News 9. "Another child making a very bad decision with a firearm."

The police department had previously identified the fatally shot teenager as a suspect connected to a separate armed robbery incident.

"At this time, detectives believe the deceased was firing shots at the suspects just prior to being fatally shot," the police department added in their statement.

A cash reward of up to $5,000 is being offered by Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay for any information that could lead to the identification and arrest of the suspects involved in the shooting.

The incident comes days after a minor girl was shot during a fight that broke out between two groups in the Arbor Flats apartments in Tampa. The girl was taken to the hospital in critical condition and underwent surgery, according to ABC Actions News.