Stolen Lives

Her Story

Suni Michelle Bell was only 4 years old when her life was tragically stolen on August 22, 2021, in Tampa, Florida. Suni was riding in the back seat of a car with her mother and uncle when another vehicle pulled alongside them on East Hillsborough Avenue and gunfire erupted. Suni was struck by a bullet. She was rushed to the hospital, but sadly, she could not be saved.

According to investigators, Suni was not believed to have been the intended target. She was simply an innocent child riding in a car with her family when violence found them. Her death left a family grieving the loss of a little girl who should have had her entire life ahead of her.

Suni was born on April 26, 2017. Her obituary remembered her as a little girl who brought light to those around her. She was only four years old when she was taken from the people who loved her.

A Little Girl Who Called for Her Mommy
One of the most heartbreaking details revealed during the investigation was that Suni called out for her mother after she was shot. Her final moments are a painful reminder that behind every headline and every criminal case is a child whose life mattered. Her family and members of the Tampa community continued to call for justice and for an end to the violence that had taken an innocent child's life.

Justice for Suni
The investigation eventually led to the arrests and indictments of five men: Zvante Sampson, Quandarious Hammond, Jaylin Bedward, James Denson, and Andrew Thompson. All five were charged in connection with Suni's murder and the shooting into the vehicle.

In September 2025, a Hillsborough County jury found all five defendants guilty in connection with Suni's murder. The convictions included first-degree murder, and additional charges related to the attack and shooting. All five men were later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for their roles in the shooting that took Suni's life. Justice cannot give Suni's family back the little girl they lost. It cannot give her the opportunity to grow up, go to school, make friends, celebrate birthdays, or discover the person she was meant to become. But remembering her name matters.

Suni Bell was more than a victim in a criminal case. She was a little girl, a daughter, a granddaughter, and a beloved child whose life mattered. May Suni's name never be forgotten.
Rest peacefully, little Suni. Your life mattered. Your name matters. And you will always be remembered.