BY IRIS B. HOLTON

Sentinel City Editor

A 19-year-old man is recovering from a gunshot wound at a local hospital. He was attending a party when someone began shooting into the ceiling and he was struck in the head.

According to police, Eric Jerrod Allen was attending a party in the Clubhouse at the Waterford Apartments, 4733 N. Waters Avenue, in Wesley Chapel, Thursday night.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office was called to the scene around 10:21 p.m. Upon their arrival, they learned that more than 200 people were attending the party when someone began shooting. Once the shooting began, the attendees fled.

However, one of the bullets struck Allen in the head. He was rushed to St. Joseph’s Hospital, where he was admitted in serious condition. Allen, who was alert and talking to deputies, told them he did not know who shot him.

A spokesperson for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said, “Someone talked about the party on Facebook and just told people to come. There were more than 200 people attending the party.

“But when the deputies arrived, there weren’t many people left and nobody saw anything. We learned that there may have been more than one person shooting at one point. The investigation is [private]continuing,” she said.

Great Young Man

Raymond Williams, who is Allen’s uncle said, “He is just a great kid. He’s very mannerable. After he got to the party, he knew that wasn’t where he wanted to be and he was trying to leave. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. He’s just a great young man. These kids just need to stop with these guns.”

Williams said his nephew is a sophomore at Florida A & M University, where he is a Business Administration major. Allen attended summer school because he wanted to graduate early, his uncle said.

His father, Rene “Calvin” Allen, said his son is a Tampa native who attended the local schools of Hillsborough County. He played football while attending Hillsborough High School and graduated in 2009.

Allen said his son was raised in a single-parent home, along with his sister. The family attended First Baptist Church of West Tampa until Eric went to school.

Allen said his son is in stable condition and the family has been told that he lost his right eye. He is able to communicate, but the hospital is keeping him sedated, his father said.

“My son takes a lot of pride in the way he looks. And that is the one thing I’m worried about how the shooting is going to affect him,” Allen said.

A popular young man, Allen said Eric told him just last week that he was thinking about changing his major. “He said he was going to change his major to the medical field. He was looking into becoming a Nursing major.”

Allen said friends from Jacksonville, Tallahassee, and Miami have been arriving in Tampa after learning of the shooting.

“Eric really enjoys being around people and he is very popular. His friends have been coming in from all over the state.”[/private]