Christopher Stamat Jr, Tampa, Florida man shoots at family of 5 sleeping in car, strikes pregnant mom in head. No known motive.
A Florida man has been accused of shooting at a family of 5 sleeping in their car, including a 9 week pregnant woman who was struck in the head after firing off no less than 12 rounds.
Christopher Stamat Jr., 21, was arrested on Saturday in connection with the shooting which took place at around 4:30am on October 5.
Stamat allegedly shot the pregnant mother in the head, leaving her with non-life threatening injuries according to Tampa police.
Stamat, who is being held without bond faces six felony charges for the attack, including four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of second degree attempted murder and one count of shooting into a vehicle.
In a news conference on Sunday morning, Tampa Police Chief Mary O’Connor stated police arrested Stamat on Saturday for felony marijuana possession but was later released.
Down and out family forced to sleep in rented car
He was then re-arrested later that afternoon after making the case for the shooting charge, O’Connor explained.
‘Our community as a whole can sleep easier tonight knowing the suspect linked to this monstrous, random act of violence is no longer free to prey on innocent people,’ O’Connor said.
‘You take a gun, and you unload it on a family. We can’t really sit back and try to figure out the ‘why’ on that. There’s really zero tolerance for that kind of behavior.’
The shooting occurred in a parking lot across from the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Complex in the Old West Tampa neighborhood.
Stamat was identified after police traced his 2012 BMW through surveillance footage from the scene, Fox13 reported.
His car was found in the garage of his girlfriend’s home some three miles from the scene of the attack.
Police searched Stamat’s car and apartment, three blocks away from where the shooting occurred, after obtaining warrants. During the search they found an empty gun box for a 9mm handgun and empty shell casings matching those found at the scene of the crime.
#BREAKING: An arrest has been made by @TampaPD in this case. 21 Y/O Christopher Stamat Jr is linked to the shooting after admitting he drove the car police were looking for that night alone. A search warrant uncovered a firearm as well @10TampaBay https://t.co/jPjUmOKFDs
— Angelina Salcedo (@AngelinaWTSP) October 9, 2022
Random shooting?
O’Connor also told how the handgun police found was not the one Stamat allegedly used in the shooting.
The chief added how the door to his bedroom in which the shell casings were found requires finger print identification to open the door, ‘so there’s no doubt that these shell casings belong to him,’ she said.
Stamat already admitted he was the only person who had used his car recently and that he was driving in the area of the crime the morning of the shooting.
Stamat, who appeared to be obsessed with weight lifting and working out, judging by photos on his social media page did not provide police a motive for the shooting but told authorities that he believed he was being stalked and followed, which his girlfriend also confirmed to police.
‘He probably thought that there was someone in that car watching him, which makes me feel a little bit better that there isn’t this random gun violence going on around the city. This seems to be pretty specific that he was going to shoot that car,’ O’Connor said.
The father, who is in his 30s, saw another car pull up and heard gunshots. He yelled for his wife, who is in her 20s, and their three children to get down in order to dodge the bullets.
Dozen shots fired before gunman fled
The mother, who is pregnant, was struck in the head and taken to a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
The children, a nine-year-old girl, a four-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl were all uninjured in the shooting, according to police. The children are now staying with other family members in Florida.
The pregnant woman who was shot in the head is still in the hospital but is expected to recover.
The family are said to have been living in a rental car because a relative did not have space for them. They had spent recent months of living outside of Florida.
They had covered the windows of their car with clothes making it hard for any suspect to see who was inside.
It remained unclear how the family came to be homeless.
Stamat allegedly fired more than a dozen shots before fleeing.
Police said there is currently no indication of any connection between Stamat and the victims.
Stamat is being held without bond.
O’Connor recommends everyone be aware of their surroundings, especially the homeless community. She also encouraged those experiencing homelessness to take advantage of area resources such as those available at Metropolitan Ministries and the Salvation Army. She added that TPD and the city of Tampa have homeless liaisons that can help families that are ‘down on their luck.’
