Club Blu: Two killed, 16 injured after gunman opens fire at teens party
Two people were killed while up to 16 others were injured after a yet-to-be- identified person opened fire during an event geared toward teenagers at Club Blu in Fort Myers, Florida.
Police first responded to the scene at 12:30 a.m. Monday where “officers located several victims suffering from gunshots wounds,” a police statement said.
It said the injuries “ranged from minor to life-threatening”. Up to four people remain in hospital with serious injuries.
The victims were between 12 and 27 years old. Shots were fired outside in the club’s car park where witnesses described the scene to reporters as a “mad house”.
“It was a young teen event”
Tatianna Nouhaioi said she was at the event when the shooting took place.
She described the atmosphere inside as “under control,” with security guards present.
“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,” Nouhaioi told ABC News.
“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. It was a young kids event.”
“I just thank God that my daughter is OK because she could have been shot,” Syreeta Gary, whose daughter was at the club, told the local Fox 4 news channel.
She added 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 deeply sorry
Meanwhile, Club Blu has released a statement in which it apologized “deeply” for the incident.
“We are deeply sorry for all involved. We tried to give the teens WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS A SAFE PLACE TO HAVE A GOOD TIME. Ages 12-17.
“There was armed security as well as full security, inside and out. As the club was closing and parents were picking their children up…..that’s when all this took place.
“There was nothing more we could of done az [sic] you see it was not kids at the party that did this despicable act,” the statement read.
Police said the scene is “safe” but still active as investigators attempt to determine what happened and the motive behind the shooting.
Officials are still working to determine the identities of those killed and to notify next of kin.
Two other crime scenes were also connected to the incident, where police said three people of interest have been detained.
Police said three persons have been arrested in relation to the incident.
The Fort Myers Police Department and Lee County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the incident.
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 US history..
