Punta Gorda Police say they are closer to closing the murder case at the 7-Eleven, in which an 18-year-old boy was shot to death before the store was set on fire.
Kyle Farishian was working the overnight shift on November 1st when this crime happened, and no arrests have been made.
The City of Punta Gorda is adding an extra $9,000 to the already $11,000 reward from Crime Stoppers and 7-Eleven for information leading to the arrest of Kyle Farishian's killer.
The interim Punta Gorda Police Chief said this may seem like an unusual step for the city to take in order to get information in a homicide, but said what happened at the 7-Eleven is unusual for the city of Punta Gorda, adding the last time a homicide happened in city was back in 2009.
The unsolved mystery has put some pressure on the city.
"Of course we all want it solved. We wanted it solved the day it happened," Punta Gorda Mayor Rachel Keesling said. "Rewards actually work from what I've read, so if there's anything we can do, another tool in our tool belt, another strategy that we can employ to close this case, I think it's worth it."
After police confirmed Kyle was shot before the fire, his stepfather wrote on Facebook, "Maybe now people can get a better understanding of what we are going through! We've had to keep this quiet until now."
He also wrote, "It gets worse, just hang on!"
Interim Punta Gorda Police Chief Tom Lewis said they're closer than ever to breaking the case.
"We are definitely getting closer to closing this case for sure. This is not a last ditch effort to gain some leads in the case. This is a very active investigation. We have many leads in the case that we're still following up on," he said.
If you recognize the suspect in the surveillance photo or have any information related to the case, you're asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS. You can remain anonymous and are elligible for a $20,000 reward.
Fox 4 has also learned there will be a benefit for Kyle Farishian at Porky's Roadhouse in Port Charlotte on December 13th.
