RIVERVIEW, FL – A 16-year-old girl was injured in a road rage incident on Tuesday afternoon when a man fired two shots into the vehicle she was in, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect, 37-year-old Rasool Abdul Hakeem, admitted to the shooting, which occurred around 5 p.m. near 4202 Falkenburg Road in Riverview.
Authorities stated that Hakeem discharged two rounds into a vehicle driving northbound during a heated altercation, injuring the teenager. She was then transported to Tampa General Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Deputy Chief Joseph Maurer detailed that the bullet grazed the girl’s chin and injured her shoulder, emphasizing that had it been a few inches higher, this could have been a fatal incident.
At the time of the road rage occurrence, the victim was in the car with her 18-year-old sibling, en route to pick up their younger sister from Giunta Middle School.
The incident evolved into three crime scenes: the location where the shots were fired, the spot where Hakeem stopped and called 911, and Giunta Middle School, where subsequent 911 calls were made.
Despite Hakeem’s claims that the victim’s vehicle rammed his car, Maurer refuted this statement. The suspect now faces two counts of second-degree attempted murder and is charged with shooting at or into a vehicle. Hakeem was previously arrested in 2014 for domestic battery.
The incident is currently under investigation.