A man opened fire during a Halloween celebration in downtown Orlando early Friday, killing two and injuring six.
According to Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith, a group of officers were dispatched to the scene after shots were fired in downtown Orlando. The initial incident, which took place shortly after 1.a.m., was followed by a second shooting, after which the suspect was arrested.
The six people who were injured were transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center for medical treatment. A seventh individual was also wounded after being trampled by the escaping crowd.
Two others were killed, including a 19-year-old UCF student Timothy Schmidt Jr. and 25-year-old Tyrek Hill.
Smith said up to 100,000 people were in downtown Orlando at the time of the shooting.
The suspect has since been identified as 17-year-old Jaylen Dwayne Edgar. The teen had been arrested for grand theft last year and is currently charged with six counts of attempted first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree murder with a firearm.
According to State Attorney Andrew Bain, officials are considering wheter or not to charge Edgar as an adult.
While authorities believe he’s the only shooter, his motives for the attack are currently unclear. It’s also unknown whether or not he was acquainted with the victims.
In a press conference, Smith credited his group of officers for having found the shooter, saying that they ‘responded very quicky’ and ‘did a great job’.
Authorities also released surveillance footage from nearby street cameras, as well as police body camera, which showed the two separate shootings as well as the arrest that took place at the second location.
Police also recovered a handgun at the scene.
One witness, Sofia Alcala, who was working in the area, said she heard gunfire, after which everyone started to ‘freak out’. Groups of people who were initially enjoying the egvent immediately began to disperse, with many crying loudly.
The initial shooting took place just a few blocks away from the Pulse nightclub, which was the site of the deadly 2016 shooting where a 29-year-old killed 49 and injured at least 53 with a firearm.
In response to the incident, Orlando Major Buddy Dye announced that they would be implementing a state of emergency for downtown Orlando establishments, which would end alcohol sales at 12 a.m. A curfew will also be put into place between 1 and 5 a.m.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, this is the 27th mass shooting in the state this year, with over 400 across the U.S.
In a statement, the University of Central Florida said their hearts are ‘heavy with grief’ as they mourn the senseless act of violence, which has impacted many of their students who were out celebrating Halloween.
Previously, they were able to screen individuals for firearms during the Halloween celebration with the use of weapon-sniffing dogs and checkpoints. However, these measures were not possible this year due to the new 2023 state law that permits individual to carry a concealed weapon in public without a permit.
