ORLANDO, Fla. – A shooting in downtown Orlando early Friday left two dead and six wounded, with one other person injured in the aftermath, police said.
Orlando police said gunshots were fired just after 1 a.m. in the area of Central Boulevard and Orange Avenue before more shots were reported near Washington Street and Orange Avenue.
Jaylen Edgar, 17, was arrested in connection with the shooting, but the motive for the act of violence is not yet known.
The names of the victims, ranging in age from 19 to 39, have not been released, but Orlando police later in the morning listed more details about them.
Victim 1: Black Male, 25, Deceased
Victim 2: White Male, 19, Deceased
Victim 3: White Male, 18, Shot in lower left leg
Victim 4: White Female, 39, Shot in left hand
Victim 5: Hispanic Female, 24, Shot in left leg
Victim 6: Black Male, 20, Shot in head (graze)
Victim 7: Hispanic Male, 26, Shot in right foot
Victim 8: Hispanic Female, 19, Shot in upper back, lodged in cheek
Victim 9: Hispanic Female, 26, Injuries from being trampled. She was not shot.
No other details about the victims have been released.
Anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 people could have been downtown at the time of the shooting, judging by views of the huge Halloween crowds, according to police.
Sofia Alcala, who works downtown, said she heard the gunshots before everyone started “freaking out.”
“Everyone started running,” she said. “I saw a group of people, you know, enjoying Halloween ... and then shots fired, and everybody just dispersed. I heard so many girls calling and crying.”
A UCF student who did not want to be identified said she was shielded by one of the victims who had been shot.
“We were coming out of Taco Bell, and pretty much it just happened in one second,” the student said. “I just heard shots, then one of my friends tackled us to the ground, then i felt my leg get warm and I thought, ‘I got shot.’ Then I got up, and my friend was bleeding out right in front of me. It was really scary.”
The student described their friend as “the bravest person I ever met in my life.”
“I’ll never meet anyone braver than that,” the student added.
Orange-Osceola State Attorney Andrew Bain said it was likely Edgar could be charged as an adult pending further investigation.