FORT PIERCE, Fla. — One of the organizers of Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. Day event in Fort Pierce told WPTV that it was hijacked by those responsible for pulling the trigger.
A shooting at the event killed a 29-year-old mother and wounded several other people.
The event at Ilous Ellis Park was meant to be a unity fest, bringing together the community to celebrate King's life and legacy. However, that was quickly spoiled when bullets started flying.
James Monds Jr., the event organizer, said he was about 150 yards away from the park when he heard gunshots and chaos as the annual car and bike show was wrapping up.
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He said his nonprofit Give Back to Kids Inc., which he said was established in the wake of senseless violence, applied for permits and paid $600 to hire three deputies for security to patrol the event.
Monds said Monday's shooting hurts not only him personally but the entire community.
"How do you get to this point where you get into a fight and then bullets ring out and then after that, today, we have someone who dies, who passes away from having a good time," Monds said. "Man, that's terrible. It's terrible. It's disgusting, it's disgusting. We have to be better as a community."
He wants people to speak up. If you saw something or if you know something Monds is encouraging people to contact authorities.
