Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff's Office responded to a reported drive-by shooting Sunday, February 22, 2026, at a residence on 2nd Avenue NW in Mulberry.

22-year old James Ansony Sosa-Pinto of Mulberry reported the shooting to various staff members after he showed up at a Lakeland Regional Health ER Sunday afternoon with a gunshot wound to his left leg.

Deputies went to Sosa-Pinto's home and found blood in his bedroom. They also found a spent casing and bullet in the room, and a impact mark on the floor. 

Multiple vape cartridges containing THC resin were also recovered from the bedroom.

The wound on Sosa-Pinto's leg revealed that a bullet had entered on the thigh, and exited through the calf. Powder burns were located near the entry wound and were also present on Sosa-Pinto's left hand.

Evidence showed that Sosa-Pinto accidentally shot himself.

Confronted with the inconsistencies to his claim of a drive-by shooting, Sosa-Pinto backtracked and said that he never reported that he was the victim of a drive-by. 

After being treated for his injury, James Ansony Sosa-Pinto was arrested and taken to the Sheriff's Processing Center where he was charged with: False Report of a Firearm Used in a Violent Manner (F2), Possession of Cannabis Resin (F3), and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (M1).