Suspects in Homeless Man's Shooting Sought by Police

A 59-year-old homeless man sleeping in a Temple Terrace field Thursday night was shot twice by two men police are now working to identify.

The shooting occurred sometime before 11:30 p.m. in a grassy field just south of the shopping center at 11407 N. 52nd St. The man told police he was sleeping in a makeshift campsite when he was awakened by two men calling out to him. The men told the victim, who is not being identified by police, to go back to sleep.

“The victim started to get up when the two men fired several shots at him, striking him in the lower abdomen and right arm,” an email from the department to media stated. The victim told police he did not know the suspects and wasn’t able to get a good look at them.

The man was transported to Tampa General Hospital and was interviewed by police before undergoing surgery. His injuries, the email stated, are not life-threatening.

The victim wasn’t able to give police a solid description of the shooters other than saying they were in their 20s. The incident has been classified as attempted murder by the police department.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call the Temple Terrace Police Department at 813-989-7110.

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