Tampa police are still investigating a weekend shooting in New Tampa that left a University of South Florida football player injured. 

  • USF DB Hassan Childs shot Saturday night
  • Shooting happened at Eagles Point Apartments at Tampa Palms
  • Incident described as road rage; police still investigating

Hassan Childs, 22, was shot once in the upper body and twice in the arm Saturday night at the Eagles Point Apartments at Tampa Palms in what police described as a road rage incident. He is recovering in an area hospital.

It remains unclear exactly how the incident started. The Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office will sort of the incident and determine if charges will be filed. 

According to police, a man later identified as Jovanni Jimenez, 26, called police saying a man pointed a gun at him and his wife and child. 

Jimenez said he shot the man, later identified as Childs, in self-defense. 

Childs, a senior defensive back from Kissimmee, said he was not the aggressor, although his version of what happened has not been released. 

The USF Athletics Department released a statement from USF head coach Charlie Strong on the incident:

“We are deeply concerned that an incident occurred overnight in which one of our players, Hassan Childs, was injured in a shooting. Thankfully, Hassan is in stable condition and being well cared for, and no one else was injured. There is an ongoing investigation of the incident and we are in the process of gathering further information. Out of respect for the integrity of the investigation, we cannot comment further at this time.” 

No charges have been filed. 

Childs has no criminal record. 

Jimenez was arrested in 2012 and 2015 on misdemeanor domestic violence charges and opposing an officer without violence.