Man's Body Caught Fire In Crashed Car After He'd Been Shot While Driving In St. Pete

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The city of St. Petersburg experienced its first homicide of 2022 early Saturday morning when a 26-year-old man was shot as he drove his car on Tyrone Boulevard, St. Pete police said.

The white Infiniti flipped and caught fire after the victim, Demond Lamar Perry, lost control of it as he headed south on Tyrone Boulevard near Ninth Avenue North at 3 a.m., police said.

Perry suffered severe burns from the car fire, according to officers.

St. Pete Fire Rescue took him to Tampa General Hospital where he died hours later, detectives said.

Officers initially considered the fatality caused by just the crash as they were unaware it was gunshot wounds that caused him to lose control of the car.

Medical staff at Tampa General contacted St. Pete detectives informing them that they discovered gunshot wounds on his burned body.

Seven St. Pete homicides had occurred by this time in 2021, police said, with the first one occurred Jan. 13, 2021. The total number of homicides for the city in 2021 was 33.

Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information regarding the Perry case. If you would like to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS.