Hillsborough sheriff urges partygoers to break silence 4 years after teen was killed

THONOTOSASSA, Fla. -  Hillsborough County sheriff's detectives are renewing their plea for tips to identify whoever shot and killed 15-year-old Laci Gilileo during a large Halloween party four years ago. 

Harney Road house party

What we know:

Deputies responded on Nov. 1, 2022, to a home along the 9000 block of Harney Road, where authorities say an argument broke out during a costume party of roughly 100 people and gunfire erupted shortly after 2 a.m. 

Investigators said Gilileo, who attended the Halloween party in Thonotosassa, was found shot at the Petrol Mart gas station at 11511 US 301 before dying at a hospital. 

First responders also found an injured 19-year-old man who was hospitalized and expected to recover. 

Halloween shooting suspect search

What we don't know:

Investigators have not identified the person or persons responsible for firing the shots that night. 

Detectives also do not know the identities of multiple partygoers who were present during the confrontation but never came forward to report what they heard or saw. 

Chaos on Harney Road

What they're saying:

Neighbors described hearing two separate barrages of gunfire before seeing panicked partygoers flee into the night. 

An anonymous guest told FOX 13 the crowd included teenagers up to people around 30 years old, noting the atmosphere shifted late into the morning before a fight broke out. 

Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement: "Four years have passed, but this family's grief over losing their daughter has not. I urge anyone with information to please call our detectives." 

Deputies ask for help solving the case

What you can do:

Anyone who knows anything about the shooting, regardless of how minor it may seem, is urged to contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office at (813) 247-8200. 

The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, which provided investigative details and statements regarding the homicide case, as well as previous FOX 13 News reports and interviews conducted with an anonymous partygoer and statements from neighborhood residents.