Crime and SafetyNew York

Tampa police arrested a man in a random shooting at a homeless family

On Sunday, the Tampa Police Department said that a pregnant woman is “recovering” after receiving a gunshot wound to the head while sleeping in her vehicle with her family in Florida.

Christopher Stamat Jr., who is 21 years old, was arrested on Saturday. Police Chief Mary O’Connor said at a news conference that Stamat Jr. “unloaded” a pistol at a BMW in Tampa on October 5 in a random attack.

O’Connor said on Sunday, “We had a homeless family of five sleeping in their van when they were presumably arbitrarily targeted by a gunman.”

Stamat is charged with six felonies, including attempted murder in the second degree, firing into an occupied car, and four counts of aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon.

The unidentified pregnant woman is “doing well” and remained hospitalized on Sunday, according to O’Connor. Her children were not injured in the incident.

According to police, a motive is now unknown.

“We do know through his girlfriend that he has shown paranoia over the previous several weeks and believes he is being stalked, but we don’t know whether that is the reason here,” O’Connor said of the suspect.

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