Police said an argument between two men turned physical, escalating when 33-year-old Emanuel Watson pulled out a gun and shot the victim multiple times.

TAMPA, Fla. — A man was arrested and charged with attempted murder after a Monday afternoon shooting in Tampa left one man in critical condition.

The Tampa Police Department said that shortly after 4 p.m. Monday, officers responded to reports of gunfire just east of Busch Gardens, in the area of 27th Street and 97th Avenue within the neighborhood of Tampa Overlook.

They arrived to find a man in his late 30s suffering from gunshot wounds to his upper body. He was transported to the hospital, where he remains in critical condition but stable. 

Police say evidence gathered at the scene revealed that two men got into a verbal argument that turned physical, escalating when 33-year-old Emanuel Watson pulled out a gun and shot the victim multiple times. 

According to the police department, Watson ran off and was quickly located by officers in the backyard of a home on N. 26th Street, where he was arrested.

“The swift arrest of this suspect is a testament to the training and quick instincts of our officers who ran toward danger to save a life and make a neighborhood safer,” Chief Lee Bercaw said in a statement. “An argument should never result in gunfire, and we will continue to hold those who resort to such senseless violence accountable for their actions.”

In addition to attempted murder, Watson was charged with aggravated battery with a weapon and possession of a controlled substance. He was transported to the Orient Road Jail.

The investigation is ongoing.