Innocent bystander shot in head outside Pine Hills gas station dies, deputies say

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An innocent woman Orange County deputies said was caught in the crossfire in an area that’s seen an increase in crime has died.

Kendra La Sheka Lewis was shot in the head while sitting in her car with her 5-year-old daughter on Wednesday, investigators said.

Deputies said she was taken off life support at Orlando Regional Medical Center Thursday afternoon.

Witnesses said they heard the child screaming as she ran from the vehicle.

The shooting was reported at North Pine Hills Road and Belco Drive near Evans High School.

“Twenty minutes before I picked up my sibling. It could have been anybody. It could have been us, you know. So it’s a sad case that something like that went on,” said Omar Torres, who picked up his sibling from Evans High School.

Law enforcement officers taped off the scene near a Citgo gas station.

“Twenty minutes before I picked up my sibling. It could have been anybody. It could have been us, you know. So it’s a sad case that something like that went on,” said Omar Torres, who picked up his sibling from Evans High School.

Authorities said Lewis, 27, was found shot inside a blue Toyota Camry in the parking lot of the gas station, across the street from Evans High School.

"She was lying face down on her steering wheel. I didn't want to get too close to the car," said a witness, who did not want to be identified.

The witness told Channel 9 that he saw three young men get into a white SUV, speed out of the gas station and cut her off.

"My first reaction was to try and follow the car as best as I could, but it pulled out in traffic so fast on Silverstar that it just took off," the witness said.

The child was not injured in the shooting and is currently staying with relatives.

Officers said Lewis was not the intended target, and was an innocent bystander.

“I just did a quick prayer, man, because I didn't know if she was dead. She was laid out," said the witness. “It could have happened to any of us.”

The witness said he will never forget the face of the young girl, who witnessed the incident.

“I'm just imagining what she is going to go through in the rest of her life because she has got to deal with that and that's her mom, you know, she saw exactly what happened, everybody didn’t see exactly what she saw," the witness said.

You can watch video from the scene below: 

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