FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A 17-year-old boy was shot and killed in Fort Pierce on Tuesday night, police said.
April Lee, a spokesperson for the Fort Pierce Police Department, said the shooting happened just after 7 p.m. in the 1500 block of Avenue K.
Lee said the 17-year-old was taken to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital, where he died from his injuries.
The name of the teen has not been released.
Fatal shooting is latest gun violence in Fort Pierce
This is the latest fatality after a series of 12 shootings took place between May and June in the city. Those resulted in four deaths and 10 injuries.
The previous fatal shooting happened on June 8 near the Lincoln Community Center when a 16-year-old girl was killed.
Joseph Clark, a Fort Pierce resident, said the gun violence in the area no longer surprises him. He said he was just down the road when the shooting took place.
"There's going to be some younger than that dying," Clark said. "It's just sad, you know what I mean, for the community to be looked over, everything is just sad now," he said.
WPTV reporter Cassandra Garcia spoke to about five other residents on Wednesday. Many were reluctant to speak about the incident on camera. They all shared their frustration with the recent shootings.
We reached out to police multiple times Wednesday to get more details on the events that led up to this shooting, as well as get the victim’s name. We are still waiting to hear back.
Residents like Clark are desperate for change, but he's losing hope that the police will do enough to make an impact.
"I hope it changes, but I doubt it," Clark said.
If you have any information that can help authorities, call the Fort Pierce Police Department or Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-800-273-8477.
