A 20-year-old father is dead after an argument ended in gunfire behind a business in Riverview, Florida, leaving his young daughter without her dad. Joel Del Toro was shot on Thursday evening, November 12, 2026, in an incident that has now become a homicide investigation.
The shooting happened in the 10000 block of South U.S. Highway 301. According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, dispatchers received multiple 911 calls reporting gunfire at a business around 6:24 p.m.
When deputies arrived, they found Del Toro behind the business with serious injuries to his upper body. Hillsborough County Fire Rescue crews responded and rushed him to a nearby hospital. Despite their efforts, the young man later died from his injuries.
Investigators believe an altercation took place near the business shortly before shots were fired. However, authorities have not explained what started the argument or whether Del Toro knew the person or people involved.
The shooting has left Del Toro’s family facing a painful loss. His death is particularly heartbreaking for his little girl, who will now have to grow up without the presence of her father.
A fundraiser has reportedly been organized to help the family deal with unexpected expenses following his death. The sudden loss has left his loved ones with both the emotional pain of losing someone so young and the difficult arrangements that follow an unexpected death.
As of the latest available reports, investigators have not announced an arrest or released a suspect description. Detectives are still working to establish exactly what happened before the gunfire erupted.
Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at 813-247-8200. Investigators are asking anyone who witnessed the incident or knows something that could help establish what happened to come forward.
For Del Toro’s family, the investigation may eventually provide answers, but it cannot bring him back. A young man has lost his life, and a little girl has lost the chance to grow up with her father by her side.