ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — Police in St. Petersburg are on the lookout after several people were shot over the weekend with a gel pellet gun.
Mike Schuman was standing with friends on Central Avenue over the weekend when a car pulled up behind them and started shooting.
“The car parked behind us and we all looked over,” Schuman said. “I saw there was a white and orange gun hanging out the back window and they just started shooting. I got hit by a few in the body and one straight in the eye, and then they drove off.”
They immediately flagged down a police officer for help.
“There happened to be a cop rolling by right at the time,” Schuman said. “We flagged him down. He was actually out looking for them. He had gotten calls over two days.”
Schuman then went to the hospital to get his eye checked. “My vision started blurring and as more time when went by it just kept getting worse and worse, like a foggy window, until eventually, I couldn’t see anything at all. It was just white,” he said.
Doctors believe the gel pellets ruptured the blood vessels around his eye and caused a blood clot.
“I was afraid I was going to lose my sight out of that eye for sure,” Schuman said. “Now I have to sleep sitting up because they’re worried about the blood clot.”
St. Petersburg Police confirm there were six cases of people being hit by a water pellet in the Downtown St. Pete area this past Saturday and Sunday.
In each incident, someone fired pellets from a car at the victims.
Police told News Channel 8 they are looking for information on a black Nissan Altima that may have been involved.
Schuman believes the shooting was part of a popular social media stunt. He hopes by spreading the word people will understand the prank is not a joke.
“It’s not safe, it’s not cool, you know, even if nobody got hurt you’re still spreading fear,” Schuman said.
Anyone with information is asked to call or text information to SPPD TIP411.