Grand Central Hotel Shooting Under Investigation: St. Pete Police

Updated: 9:40 p.m., Monday

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Two people were shot early Monday afternoon in the Tru by Hilton hotel parking garage at 1650 Central Ave., authorities said.

Officers responded to reports of shots fired in the area around 12:30 p.m., according to a St. Petersburg Police Department news release. They found two people with gunshot wounds.

A 29-year-old woman and the valet, a 25-year-old man, were injured in the shooting, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

The woman, a local resident who spent the night at the hotel, was targeted in the attack, reports said.

“This is not something that was random,” Mike Kovacsev, assistant police chief, said.

Both victims were brought to Bayfront Health in stable condition, police said.

Officers were still searching for the shooter Monday at 6 p.m., reports said. No information has been released about the gunman.

Kovascsev expects investigators will make an arrest in the case soon, according to WFLA.

“We’re confident this will come together, and we’ll be able to make an arrest on this and for the most part, the individual is not in custody at this time, but we expect the investigation to progress very quickly and hopefully we’ll get this resolved soon,” he said.

Though the shooting wasn’t random, the assistant chief warned St. Petersburg residents to remain vigilant, according to Fox 13 News.

"Unfortunately, you know, these are things that happen in large cities that we have to try to mitigate. It's nothing to be overly concerned about," Kovascsev said. "We will continue to investigate, and hopefully we'll bring resolution to everything. Stay safe. Keep aware of your surroundings, do the best you can and avoid becoming a victim."

Patch has reached out to St. Petersburg police for additional information.