Series of shootings in Jacksonville Beach leave 1 dead, 3 wounded on St. Patrick's Day
Police are investigating a series of three shootings in Jacksonville Beach that left one person dead and panicked onlookers fleeing the chaos during the busy St. Patrick's Day weekend. No arrests had been made and police were still searching for suspects on Monday.
Three other people were in serious condition after the shootings Sunday night, Jacksonville Beach Police Chief Gene Paul Smith said. One of the people shot was an innocent tourist from out of town, he said Monday.
Smith said the first shooting happened after at least 250 teens gathered under the Jacksonville Beach Pier for planned fights, CBS affiliate WJAX-TV reported. Police had already received information about the organized fights so officers were already in the area, Smith said. Two people began shooting at each other and three people were shot, including an innocent bystander, police said.
Police released video and surveillance footage of the scene, showing a huge crowd scattering.
The second shooting happened later in the parking lot outside a bar, but no one was injured.
The third shooting happened outside a different bar and one person was killed. Police did not say if the person who died was a suspect or bystander.
"Quite frankly I'm pissed off. We have a reputation out here as a law and order city. I'm a law and order chief," Smith said Monday. "If you break the law we're gonna put you in jail. Some people may need some reminders on that."
It's tragic and unfortunate that "a couple of bad actors" created a dangerous situation for everyone, Jacksonville Beach Mayor Chris Hoffman told the newspaper.
"This is Players Weekend, it's St. Patrick's Day, it's spring break," Hoffman said. "We have a lot going on out here."
After one of the shootings claimed the life of a 21-year-old man, police locked down nearby bars and evacuated the downtown area, authorities said.
"This was a huge task on a Sunday night in Jacksonville Beach that was basically a holiday," the police chief said.
No arrests were immediately announced.
The violence in Florida unfolded a day after a shooting in Washington, D.C left two people dead and five others wounded.