ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The victim of a hit-and-run crash near a St. Petersburg elementary school was identified by police Monday afternoon.
The St. Petersburg Police Department said they received a call around 2:39 a.m. about a man, later identified as Taiwan James Gland, 35, who was seen lying in the intersection at 7th Avenue South and 12th Street South. When officers arrived, police said they realized it looked like he'd been hit by a car.
St. Pete Police said rescue was called, but he died at the scene. Officials said the incident is now being investigated as a homicide as they believe Gland was intentionally hit.
“It goes from being a traffic crash, which is still very serious when you have a hit and run where somebody dies, it’s extremely serious, a traffic homicide case to a major crimes homicide case because our investigators believe that he was hit deliberately," said Yolanda Fernandez, a St. Pete Police spokesperson.
The hit-and-run happened near Campbell Park Elementary School. The intersection was closed for several hours during the investigation.
The family of the victim is grieving two recent losses. A family member said she lost both her son and grandson within days of each other, explaining Gland's 18-year-old son died in a shooting last week.
St. Pete Police said they don’t know if there’s any connection between the two cases at this point.
Anyone with information should call St. Petersburg Police at 727-893-7780 or text SPPD and their tip to TIP411.
