TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa police are investigating a shooting that has left a teenager dead.

The shooting happened just before 9 p.m. Tuesday in the parking lot of the McDonald's restaurant located at 4009 N. Armenia Ave.

During a news conference Wednesday morning, Tampa Police Chief Mary O'Connor said witnesses told authorities that the teen was with a group of other juveniles when a vehicle drove by. That's when gunfire erupted as the teens and the people in the vehicle exchanged shots. 

The 16-year-old male was shot in the chest and died at the scene. A gun was found in the parking lot beside him. O'Connor said the other teens in the parking lot fled the scene after the shooting, leaving their friend.  

"Another child with a gun deceased," O'Connor said, describing frustration with a recent string of shootings involving teens. "Another child making a very bad decision with a firearm."

Prior to the shooting, the deceased was identified by Tampa police detectives as a suspect in a separate armed robbery incident. 

An investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay offers cash rewards of up to $5,000 for information that leads to the identification and arrest of suspects in an unsolved crime or the arrest of a wanted fugitive.

Anyone with information regarding such active criminal investigations, who also want to be eligible for a cash reward, is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477), report anonymously online at www.crimestopperstb.com, or send a mobile tip using their P3 Tips mobile application, which is a free download for iOS and Android.