8 individuals shot, 1 vital at Florida MLK Day occasion

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — Police in Florida mentioned eight individuals had been shot throughout an Martin Luther King Jr. Day occasion, with one of many victims listed in vital situation.

The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Workplace confirmed all of the victims within the Monday capturing in Fort Pierce had been adults, WPBF-TV reported.

The capturing occurred at Ilous Ellis Park at 5:20 p.m. throughout an MLK Automobile Present and Household Enjoyable Day, which the sheriff’s workplace mentioned was attended by greater than 1,000 individuals, the TV station reported.

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“A number of individuals had been shot, it appears like from our preliminary investigation right here on scene there was a disagreement of some type between two events, and sadly, they selected to resolve that with weapons,” St. Lucie County Chief Deputy Brian Hester mentioned.

Police mentioned 4 individuals together with a toddler sustained non-life-threatening accidents in the course of the ensuing confusion, the station reported.

“It was mass chaos, as you may think about, when photographs rang out,” Hester mentioned. “There have been a thousand plus individuals right here on the occasion, and because the photographs rang out, individuals had been simply working in all instructions.”

The sheriff’s workplace mentioned two deputies on the occasion responded instantly and aided victims, WPBF-TV reported.

Video obtained by the station confirmed individuals ducking, working and hiding behind automobiles, together with a girl working to security whereas holding a child.

“It’s actually unhappy in a celebration of somebody who represented peace and equality {that a} disagreement ends in a use of weapons and violence to unravel that disagreement, and that’s what’s actually unhappy to me about what occurred right here,” Hester mentioned. “After which so many harmless individuals who had been injured or harm and weren’t a part of the disagreement as effectively.”