Two men were killed, and at least seven others were injured, after shots were fired early Friday morning as Halloween festivities were underway in downtown Orlando.
According to the Orlando Police Department, officers responded to a shooting incident near the intersection of Central Boulevard and Orange Avenue at around 1:05 a.m. on Friday, November 1.
Within minutes, officers witnessed a second shooting on Orange Avenue, south of Washington Street.
OPD stated that a total of eight victims, between the ages of 19 and 39, were shot. Two of the victims – a 19-year-old man and 25-year-old man – sustained fatal injuries and were pronounced deceased at the scene.
The remaining shooting victims included an 18-year-old man who was shot in the lower left leg, a 39-year-old woman who was shot in the left hand, a 24-year-old woman who was shot in the left leg, a 20-year-old man whose head was grazed by a bullet, a 26-year-old man who was shot in the right foot, and a 19-year-old woman who was shot in the upper back with a bullet lodged in her cheek.
In addition, a ninth victim – a 26-year-old woman – sustained injuries after being trampled as a crowd attempted to flee from the area following the gunshots.
At the time of the shooting, nearly 100 officers were on patrol in the downtown Orlando area due to a large crowd that was gathered for Halloween.
Shortly after shots were fired, officers located a male suspect, and he was taken into custody at the intersection of Washington Street and Orange Avenue. He was later identified by police as 17-year-old Jaylen Dwayne Edgar.
Edgar remains in custody, and he is facing the following charges: two counts of first-degree murder and six counts of attempted first-degree murder.
“In light of this tragic incident, the Orlando Police Department would like to remind the community that safety is our top priority,” stated OPD in a media release on Friday morning.
The police department added that it is also “assessing the need for increased patrols Downtown this weekend.”
The names of the shooting victims were not released by Orlando police.