TAMPA, FL (October 1, 2021) - On August 29, 2021, at approximately 10:04 p.m., Tampa Police dispatch was notified by an extra duty unit working at Tampa General Hospital that a female had been dropped off with a gunshot wound.
There were no 911 calls for service related to this event. The victim was pronounced deceased at 11:21p.m. An autopsy was later performed on the victim, which determined the cause of death was a gunshot wound.
A worker at the hospital advised that he observed a white SUV with two males and the victim inside pull up to the hospital at 10:04 p.m. The victim was in the backseat suffering from a serious injury. The hospital employee placed the victim in a wheelchair and rushed her to the trauma area. The worker said he asked the other occupants of the vehicle multiple times what happened, and they told him "I don't know." The two males left the hospital shortly afterwards in a white SUV.
Detectives responded to the hospital and made contact with the victim's mother, who provided details about the victim's whereabouts prior to the shooting.
Detectives responded to the 2600 block of Durham Street and observed a white Subaru Forrester on the property of a residence, backed in. Detectives made contact with the victim's boyfriend and his mother and obtained their statements. After detectives applied for a search warrant for the residence the boyfriend advised he wished to amend his statement. He provided an amended statement to detectives on scene, stating that the victim was shot in his bedroom. He advised he was accompanied by his friend, Yanmarkoz Jimenez (D.O.B. 02/06/2005), and they drove the victim to the hospital. He further advised that the firearm that shot the victim belonged to him.
During the execution of the search warrant, additional detectives responded to 2218 Harper Street and made contact with the defendant, Jimenez and his mother. Jimenez initially advised that he was picked up by the boyfriend with the victim in the vehicle already injured. Jimenez was further questioned and amended his statement and said he was at the boyfriend's residence playing video games while the victim was playing with a firearm and accidentally shot herself.
Jimenez was further questioned and amended his statement again, advising he was playing with a gun when it accidentally went off, striking the victim. They then drove the victim to the hospital.
Detectives eventually left the residence but returned a short time later after Jimenez's mother contacted them and told them she had located a firearm at her residence. Jimenez was interviewed again and said that the boyfriend and the victim picked him up to go to the residence on Durham Street to smoke. Jimenez said he was playing video games and he saw a firearm on the bed and took the magazine out. Jimenez said he started playing with the firearm and accidentally shot the victim. Jimenez said he believed the firearm was unloaded and he did not realize there was a round in the chamber. Jimenez said that he drove the victim to Tampa General Hospital with the boyfriend, and they left because they were scared.
He said he talked with the boyfriend about what to do and they decided to clean up. Jimenez said he took the firearm home and hid it. The gun was turned over to detectives.
The firearm was later submitted to FDLE for a functionality and safety inspection. The results of that analysis indicated that the firearm was functional and there were no problems related to the safety mechanisms of this firearm as submitted.
Jimenez was taken into custody on 10/01/21 for the charge of Manslaughter with a Weapon and Tampering with Evidence.
The case remains under investigation.