Man Arrested in Grandmother’s 'Stray Bullet' Death

TAMPA, FL — A 19-year-old Tampa man faces criminal charges after a June shooting claimed the life of a 57-year-old grandmother.

According to the Tampa Police Department, Tyrell Rashard Warren was charged in the death of Maria Rivera-Contreras Friday, Sept. 16. Rivera-Contreras was killed in a June 23 shooting incident in the 400 block of East Columbus Drive.

Police received a shooting call around 9:45 p.m. When they arrived on the scene, they found a large crowd gathered in a parking lot at the Central Court Apartments. As police began to interview people on the scene, they found out that Rivera-Contreras had been taken to the hospital by her brother, Victor Rivera. She suffered a gunshot wound to the head, police said.

“Mrs. Rivera-Contreras was in a car with family members after delivering food to a friend," an email from police said. "As the car was backing out of the driveway on to Columbus Drive, Mrs. Rivera-Contreras was struck by a stray bullet as she sat in the backseat with her 9-year-old nephew and 16-year-old niece.”

Police say further investigation revealed there had been an ongoing dispute between two young men; one of them known as “B.B.” Witnesses told police one of the men in the feud rode his bike west toward Columbus Drive after being told someone was shooting at him. The man identified as “B.B,” police said, was seen by a witness firing a gun in a westbound direction. Police say “B.B.” is Tyrell Rashard Warren.

“It has been determined that the shot he fired across Columbus Drive struck Mrs. Rivera-Contreras,” the email said.

Warren has been charged with second-degree murder and felon in possession of a firearm.

Booking photo courtesy of the Tampa Police Department