Two individuals have died, and six others sustained injuries during shootings that occurred amid Halloween festivities in Orlando early on Friday, according to authorities.
Police received reports of gunfire in the downtown area shortly after 1 a.m. A second incident followed just minutes later, close to the officers who were already on the scene, leading to a swift arrest, as detailed by Police Chief Eric Smith during a briefing on Friday morning.
The six injured individuals, aged between 19 and 39, were taken to hospital for treatment and are currently in stable condition, Smith confirmed. A 17-year-old male suspect has been apprehended, with Smith displaying footage from both street security cameras and police body cameras that captured the shootings and the subsequent arrest at the site of the second incident.
Following the first shooting, police quickly disseminated a description of the suspect based on security footage; however, the second shooting occurred close to officers, who witnessed the event first hand, Smith explained.
Smith stated, “Whatever his mindset was, he was going to shoot no matter what.”
Over 100 officers were on patrol to oversee the estimated crowd of between 50,000 and 100,000 individuals celebrating Halloween on Thursday night and into the early hours of Friday morning, according to Smith.
Florida State Attorney Andrew Baine remarked that charging the teenage suspect as an adult is a possibility, but his office will await further developments from the ongoing police investigation.
Frances Ibiefo
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