TAMPA, FL–
Investigators say they have arrested a man in connection with the shooting of a pregnant woman who was sleeping in a vehicle with her family.
21-year-old Christopher Stamat Jr. was taken into custody on six felony charges including, second-degree attempted murder, shooting into a vehicle, and four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Authorities say the family, who was experiencing homelessness, parked their vehicle in a parking spot at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Complex to sleep for the night.
Around 1:00 a.m. on Oct. 5th, the father noticed a black vehicle slowly drive by them and then open fire.
The mother was struck in the head but sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The 9-year-old girl, 4-year-old boy, 3-year-old girl, and the father who were also sleeping in the vehicle were uninjured.
With the use of multiple surveillance cameras, authorities were able to identify the fleeing suspect as Stamat Jr.
Stamat’s vehicle was eventually located in the garage of a home on Marcellus Circle in Tampa on Oct 6th.
Authorities also obtained a warrant to search Stamat’s vehicle and his apartment where they found bullets matching the bullets they found at the scene.
Investigators say that Stamat did not tell them why he shot at the family, however, he did express concerns about people following him on foot, in vehicles, and on bikes.