Two people have been killed and up to 16 injured in a shooting at a nightclub in the city of Fort Myers in Florida, police say. The attack happened at around 00:30 (04:30 GMT) on Monday at Club Blu, which was reportedly hosting a party for teenagers. Three people have been arrested.
The victims of the attack were between 12 and 27 years old. A hospital spokeswoman said three people remained in hospital with serious injuries.
According to a local broadcaster, one of the two killed was Stefan Strawder, a leading local high school basketball player. Shots were fired outside in the club’s car park where witnesses described the scene to reporters as a “mad house”. Tatian Nouhaioi, a neighbour, told ABC News: “It was a young teen event. There were kids. The kid I was holding in my lap, he was 14 years old that got shot.
“And then there was a little girl who also got shot and she was 13. One of the security guard’s daughter got shot, so I mean there was kids 13, 14, 15, 16.” Florida Governor Rick Scott released a statement saying: “I have cancelled my events today to meet with law enforcement and local officials in Fort Myers.
“While we are still learning the details about what happened this morning, we know that some of the victims of this terrible incident were children. We will continue to pray for the victims and their families.”
The club said the shooting happened as the party ended and parents arrived to pick up their children.
Syreeta Gary, whose daughter was at the club, told the local Fox 4 news channel: “I just thank God that my daughter is OK because she could have been shot,” adding that, at one point, her daughter was “dodging bullets and running dropping between cars”. “It’s ridiculous that these kids have to go through this, they can’t enjoy themselves because you have other people there who have criminalistic minds – they just want to terrorise things. I’m just glad she’s OK.” Club Blu released a statement on Facebook expressing its deep sorrow over the incident. It was hosting a Swimsuit Glow Party where no ID was required, according to a flyer. Shots were also fired at a nearby home and a vehicle, where one person suffered a minor injury. Officers are trying to determine the motive of the shootings. Six weeks ago, a gunman attacked a gay nightclub in the Florida city of Orlando, killing 49 people. It was the worst mass shooting in recent US history.
