Two killed, six injured in Halloween crowd

A suspect opened fire amid thousands of people gathered in downtown Orlando for Halloween celebrations, killing two people and wounding six others, police said.

All of the victims were between 19 and 39 years old, Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith said at an early news conference. According to him, six of the wounded are in stable condition. The identities of the two dead have not yet been established.

Officers reported shots fired around 1:07 a.m. Friday in the area of Central Boulevard and Orange Avenue, Smith said. Dramatic video from surveillance and body cameras showed a huge crowd of thousands of people jamming the streets for Halloween when one man (blurred in the video) appeared to shoot another, creating pandemonium as bystanders rushed to leave.

The officers didn’t see the first shooting, but five of them watched as the suspect appeared moments later near Washington Street and Orange Avenue and “shot multiple people,” Smith said.

A 17-year-old male suspect, who Smith said was previously arrested for grand theft in 2023, was taken into custody.

Up to 100,000 people in downtown Orlando during the shooting

An estimated 50,000 to 100,000 people were in downtown Orlando at the time of the shooting, which left 2 people dead and 6 injured. The 17-year-old suspect is in custody.

Fox – 35 Orlando

“Halloween is one of the busiest nights of the year,” Smith said, pointing at the video screen. “We do anything from 50 to 100,000 people.”

According to Smith, there were about 100 police officers in the area, so the shooter was quickly apprehended.

It is unknown at this time whether the suspect will be charged as an adult. The investigation is ongoing, Smith said.

Where did the Halloween shooting happen in Orlando?

The first shots were fired at the intersection of Central Boulevard. and Orange Avenue, police said, downtown.

The suspect “ran onto Court Street, came back into the alley and ran back out” onto Orange Avenue near Washington Street, a block from the scene of the first shooting, and opened fire again, Smith said. “People were still just walking and running in different directions,” Smith said.

Why did the shooter open fire in Orlando?

Although the video shows the suspect walking past another man and then turning to shoot him, a motive for that victim or the others has not yet been determined, Smith said.

Are guns allowed in public places in Orlando?

In previous years, firearms were prohibited at events, but that changed after the state legalized concealed carry in 2023, Smith said.

“All that went away when the law changed,” he said. “Essentially, you’re carrying a gun on a public street, until you do that you don’t meet certain criteria.

“I know law enforcement is constantly changing,” Smith said.

If confirmed, the shooting would be Florida’s 27th mass shooting in 2024 out of 439 nationwide, according to the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive.

How many people have been shot in the US in 2024?

According to the Gun Violence Archive as of October 31, 2024:

This year, 14,166 people have died in the United States, including 202 children and 973 teenagers.
27,055 people were injured, including 469 children and 2,724 teenagers.
345 law enforcement officers were killed or wounded
Law enforcement officers have killed 1,227 people and injured 672 in officer-involved incidents
1019 people were killed in self-defense
1,157 people died as a result of unintentional shootings
561 people died as a result of murder/suicide

What is a mass shooting?

GVA (and the Congressional Research Service) defines a mass shooting based on the number of people shot in the incident: four or more, not including the shooter. GVA’s numbers, which are disputed by pro-gun groups, may differ from those from the FBI or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because they collect data from 7,500 law enforcement agencies, government and media outlets, the site explains.

USA TODAY defines a mass shooting as an incident in which at least four people are injured by a gunshot. A mass murder is an incident in which at least four people are killed.

The FBI does not define “mass shooting” at all. The agency defines a “mass murder” or “mass murder” as an incident in which four or more victims are killed by any intentional means, which may include gun violence.

Gun violence in Florida

Including this incident, there have been 27 mass shootings in the Sunshine State in 2024, up from 30 last year, according to GVA data. A study by safety review site SafeHomes.org found that Floridians purchased nearly half a million firearms in the first four months of 2024.

For much of this year, Florida led the nation in the number of mass shootings, but Illinois had 33, including 30 in California and 26 in Texas.

FBI reports decline in violent crime since 2023

FBI says crime in the US is falling

In 2023, the homicide rate was down 13% from 2022, the number of reported violent crimes was down 6%, and the number of reported property crimes was down 4%.

no brand – worth attention

Despite this, the total number of mass shootings in the U.S. is down from 2023, with 385 as of Sept. 5, according to GVA, compared with 561 by this time last year.

In July, the FBI announced that violent crime fell in 2024 and that 2023 rates were down from the previous year. In its quarterly crime report and 2024 use of force data update, the agency said homicides fell by 26.4%, rapes by 25.7%, robberies by 17.8% and assaults, according to preliminary reports. in aggravating circumstances – by 12.5% compared to 2023. .

How many mass shootings have occurred in Florida in 2024?

Through Friday morning, there had been 26 mass shootings in Florida this year, as determined by GVA:

January 20, Plantation: Four people were injured in a shooting in front of a Best Buy store. One person later died.
January 20, Palm Bay.: A man shot and killed his mother, grandfather and sister, and wounded his 15-year-old nephew and another person.
January 28, Palm Bay.: A man shot and killed a priest, the priest’s sister and his grandfather, and wounded two police officers.
February 28: Orlando.: A dispute over when to return a car leaves one person dead and six injured.
12 March, Lowtey: A stabbed man is accused of killing three women.
March 25, Pompano Beach: Deputies said a 16-year-old boy and three men were shot by suspects who approached them.
March 31, St. Petersburg: Police say the men opened fire during an argument outside the restaurant, wounding three men in their 20s and a 17-year-old girl.
April 5, Riviera Beach: As a result of the shooting, four people were injured, including a minor.
April 6, Doral: A man who disturbed order in a bar shot and killed a security officer, and six people were injured in the shootout.
April 11, Orlando: Deputies responded to the call and found four men shot to death. One died later.
April 27, Daytona Beach: A man shot and wounded four people during a “physical altercation.”
April 28, Sanford: A 16-year-old shot and wounded 10 people at a bar, including WR Tank Dell of the Houston Texans.
April 29, Miami Gardens: A dispute over a teenage fight left five people injured, including two teenagers.
May 12, Tallahassee: Four people were shot in the shopping center parking lot, two died.
May 18, Sarasota: One person was killed and four people (including Auburn RB Brian Batty) were injured.
May 25, Fort Pierce: Five people aged 15-20 were shot at the rally.
June 2, Pensacola: According to police, one person was wounded in the leg and three others were injured by gunshot fragments.
June 12, Hudson: The man admitted that he shot two adults and killed two children, and also burned all four bodies in a fire.
June 14, Fort Lauderdale: One person was killed and four were injured in a drive-by shooting.
June 23, Tampa: Jacksonville rapper Julio Fulio was shot and killed and three others were injured outside a Holiday Inn.
July 5, Tampa: As a result of the fight, a security guard and three passers-by were injured.
July 8, Fort Lauderdale: A man and woman were killed and three others, including a two-year-old child, were injured in a drive-by shooting.
July 28, Pensacola: Three are killed and five are wounded when three men open fire on a group of people playing dice.
August 10, Jacksonville: Two women and four men, ranging in age from their teens to 20s, were wounded outside the makeshift club.
September 7, Opa Locka: Five people were injured as the dispute turned violent.
October 30, Dade City: Four people were shot during a dispute between neighbors, police said.

(This story has been updated with new information.)