Five men from Florida have been sentenced to life imprisonment for their involvement in a drive-by shooting that tragically claimed the life of a 4-year-old girl.

In a September ruling, a jury in Hillsborough County found Andrew Thompson, 26, James Denson, 28, Jaylin Bedward, 26, Quandarious Hammond, 32, and Zvante Sampson, 34, guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle.

On Wednesday morning, Judge Robin Fuson of the 13th Judicial Circuit handed down the life sentences, ensuring that the five men will serve their time without the possibility of parole in a Florida state prison.

The shooting, which resulted in the death of young Suni Bell, also put her uncle and mother in grave danger as they were present in the vehicle during the barrage of gunfire.

Judge Fuson delivered the sentences with stern condemnation, underscoring the gravity of the crime.

“You don’t get to do what you do and what you did and walk amongst us,” Fuson said, according to a courtroom report by St. Petersburg-based Spectrum news channel Bay News 9. “So for the actions, this is what you earned. Nobody put you in prison, you put yourselves there.”

On Aug. 22, 2021, Suni and her family were driving along Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa. The girl was in the backseat of the silver Infiniti eventually tailed by three other vehicles, gas station surveillance footage showed. When the trio finally caught up, dozens of shots were fired at Suni’s family – a lone bullet striking and killing the little girl.

Jurors were also shown surveillance footage from other businesses along the route, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Those videos featured the sounds of gunshots and bright flashes from the other cars’ windows depicting the onslaught of firearms discharging. In sum, roughly 40 bullet casings were recovered from the scene of the crime.

Investigators never determined which gun fired the fatal bullet – or even what kind of bullet was responsible for Suni’s death – but prosecutors argued those details were ultimately inconsequential.

During the trial, the state alleged shared roles for the five defendants: only Hammond, Thompson and Denson fired their weapons, while Sampson and Bedward drove two of the pursuing cars.

Still, prosecutors argued their collective actions were akin to a “hunt” intended to kill the people inside the pursued Infiniti.

“They knew exactly what they were doing,” Assistant State Attorney John Terry told the jury. “They were targeting whoever was in that car, and sadly it happened to be Suni Bell.”

During the two-week trial, defense teams did not call a single witness, but argued there was no way to know who out of the five actually fired the gun that took the little girl’s life. One defense attorney raised the specter of “guilty by association” and implored jurors to reject such an outcome, according to courtroom reports by Tampa-based Fox affiliate WTVT and St. Petersburg-based CBS affiliate WTSP.

In the end, however, the jury sided with the state.

The judge said the outcome was a “cautionary tale,” according to a courtroom report by Tampa Bay-based ABC affiliate WFTS.

“There are no winners,” Fuson continued. “You’ve destroyed two sets of families, both sides of this equation. Nobody wins, everybody loses.”

During the sentencing hearing several of Suni’s family members offered impact statements spanning various attitudes.

One of the slain child’s loved ones said the since-condemned men had an opportunity to now become teachers of a sort.

“Y’all got 20 or 25 years or whatever to think about this,” Suni’s uncle said. “Tell your friends to put these damn guns down. You’re destroying families with s— that you’re doing, don’t even know what you’re doing.”

Another offered something not entirely unlike forgiveness.

“I know you guys probably did not mean to do it, but the outcome it did happen,” Suni’s mother said. “I feel for you. My heart goes out to all y’all, and we’ll be praying for y’all.”

Yet another provided equal parts forgiveness and despair.

“She was 4. She’s gone,” the victim’s grandmother said. “Your family gets to still come in the court, the jailhouse and see y’all, hug y’all, touch y’all. We have to wait till judgment day to see my grandbaby. I’m praying for your family, and I’m also going to uplift y’all in prayer as well.”