ORLANDO – Two people are dead and at least seven others were injured after a shooting in downtown Orlando, Florida, early Friday as thousands enjoyed the city’s Halloween celebrations, police said.
Police have arrested a 17-year-old man on suspicion of involvement in the shooting. No motive has yet been established and the identities of the dead and injured have not been released, although police say the victims range in age from 18 to 39.
The two fatalities were later identified as 19 and 25 year olds. Six others suffered gunshot wounds, and a 26-year-old woman suffered injuries from being trampled as the crowd fled the shooting.
Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith told a news conference early Friday that shots were fired just after 1 a.m. at Central Boulevard and Orange Avenue and that more shots were fired minutes later.
The injured were taken to Orlando Medical Center for treatment. Police said they were all in stable condition.
According to police, the suspect has been arrested and taken into custody. He was later charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a firearm and six counts of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm.
He was previously arrested for theft in 2023, a crime that remains actively investigated.
At the news conference Friday afternoon, Smith said the suspect has not cooperated with police. Investigators are still trying to figure out how he got the gun and why he was released so late.
Surveillance video released by Orlando showed the suspect walking through the crowd wearing a yellow shirt. It looked like he raised his right hand and opened fire on someone. According to the footage, the crowds scattered in all directions as gunfire rang out. Police video showed an officer knocking down the suspect and three others running to help arrest him.
Smith told the news conference that Orlando is popular on Halloween, one of the busiest nights of the year in the city, with between 50,000 and 100,000 people expected to join the crowds. About 100 police officers patrolled the area and managed to apprehend the gunman shortly after the shots were fired, Smith said.
Police showed security camera footage of the very busy downtown streets at the time of the shooting, showing people apparently running in panic as the shots rang out.
“The officers did a great job. They responded right away when they heard the shooting, you know. So everyone else runs. They don’t, they’re in position looking for a shooter. They found a shooter. They got him brought.” down,” he said.
He added that the suspect was determined to carry out the shooting and was not deterred by the presence of police.
“Whatever his mentality was, he was going to shoot anyway. He walked past multiple officers… He walked past at least 10 officers, walked right past them,” Smith said.
Orange-Osceola State’s Attorney Andrew Bain told the news conference that it is likely the suspect will be charged as an adult as the investigation continues.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer declared a local state of emergency in Orlando’s downtown entertainment district and imposed a 1 a.m. curfew. There will be no alcohol sales after midnight for the next seven days.
Dyer noted that the city had security measures in place downtown, including coordinated entry and weapons screening.
He said changes in the state’s concealed weapons laws have “made it even easier for people to carry guns and bring guns into town.” Last year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation allowing residents to carry a concealed loaded gun without a permit.
“Honestly, I am frustrated to have to stand before you again and again and share the news that we have senselessly lost another life to gun violence,” Dyer said.
Near the scene of the shooting Friday morning, downtown workers and pedestrians went about their days without many signs of the carnage that had occurred just hours before. About 10 feet of yellow police tape hung between a parking meter and a nearby business.
Rocio Taylor, 70, who lives about three blocks from where the shooting occurred, said she doesn’t go out after 7 p.m. on weekends because the bar-and-club scene is too loud. She also said the area often hosts festivals and attracts a young crowd. Taylor, who works at a wedding dress store, said she would like to see a greater police presence.
“It’s Halloween,” she said. “They drink too much alcohol. They go to nightclubs. They are no longer in control.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
