HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Police in Hollywood said Tuesday they are looking to identify three people in connection with a Memorial Day shooting at the city's popular beachfront Broadwalk that injured nine people.
Officers patrolling the beach heard gunfire just before 7 p.m. near Johnson Street and later found multiple people with gunshot wounds.
Police spokeswoman Deanna Bettineschi said nine victims were taken to Memorial Regional Hospital and Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital.
Four of the victims were minors ages ranging from one to 17. The ages of the five injured adults ranged from 25 to 65.
Police said Tuesday that of the nine victims, three have been treated and discharged, while six others remain at the hospital in stable condition.
Investigations believe an altercation between two groups of people resulted in the gunfire.
Hollywood police said officers were able to detain two men, Morgan Deslouches of Hollywood and Keshawn Stewart of Dania Beach, both 18, after the shooting. While those who were detained were not identified as the shooters, they were arrested on firearms charges.
Deslouches faces charges of grand theft of a firearm, carrying a concealed weapon and altering the serial number on a firearm. Stewart faces a charge of carrying a concealed weapon.
The Hollywood Police Department said their investigation is moving quickly.
"I'm very confident that we will apprehend those three persons … that police are in search of," Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy said during a Tuesday afternoon news conference.
The mayor said he believes surveillance cameras will help in the investigation.
"When you do something like this in broad daylight with CCTV cameras up and down our Broadwalk, you will be identified and you will be caught and brought to justice," Levy said. "We're not going to tolerate this kind of behavior in a beautiful beach setting."
WATCH BELOW: Hollywood police search for 3 people in mass shooting
Levy and Police Chief Chris O'Brien previously appeared at a Monday briefing after the shooting.
"I'm saddened and angered that we have had an incident on Hollywood Beach today where innocent bystanders were injured as a result of this shooting altercation between two groups," Levy said Monday. "People come to a holiday weekend on the beach with their families and to have people in complete reckless disregard of the safety of the public and to have an altercation with guns in a public setting with thousands of people around them is beyond reckless."
He thanked first responders and good Samaritans, as well as emergency room doctors and nurses for their response.
O'Brien said no "stone will go unturned ... in holding those accountable."
Police said as of Tuesday morning that five handguns were recovered, including two that were stolen. One handgun was reported stolen from Texas, while the other was from Miami-Dade County.
"It's something that's certainly not ordinary to be carrying a weapon here on Hollywood Beach," Levy said Tuesday. "It's pretty crazy in broad daylight, in the middle of a holiday weekend, thousands of people on one of the busiest beaches in the country, for people to come in and suddenly start shooting at each other in broad daylight. Who does that?"
Investigators are asking the community for help in identifying three people who they believe were involved in Monday's shooting.
Witnesses describe 'really scary' moments
A family from West Palm Beach was visiting Hollywood at the time of the shooting and witnessed the chaotic moments.
Kayla Puzon said she was standing on a beachfront balcony when the gunfire rang out on the Broadwalk, just feet from where she was standing.
"It was really really scary to be right in the spot where you could hear gunshots going off," Puzon said. "You knew it was gunshots. It wasn't fireworks. It was very clear."
Video showed people scattering for cover after the shots were fired.
"You could see everybody was just jumping the walls, trying their best to take cover," Puzon said. "I think for me the saddest part was seeing the parents dragging their children trying to take cover."
Dawn Simmons was hanging outside with her daughter just seconds before they heard the bullets too.
"It was like all chaos. I just ran in there and I'm like, 'shots fired, nobody go anywhere!'" Simmons said. "My dad's jumping up. I'm like, 'Stay inside!'"
Many beachgoers were back at the scene less than 24 hours after the shooting.
"I was nervous about it but then when he said all the police are going to be there today, I thought, 'OK, he's right,' Cindy Hagan said Tuesday. "So, I feel safe because they're all around."
Yehuda Silver thinks mass shootings are a problem.
"You hear about all these shootings throughout America," Silver said. "To have one happen so close by, in the vicinity, it kind of brings it back home."
If you can help in the case, you are urged to contact the Hollywood Police Department at 954-764-4357 (HELP) or 954-967-4567. Tipsters can email or text any video or photos they may have of the incident to hollywoodpdtips@hollywoodfl.org. Information can also be given to Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477(TIPS) or browardcrimestoppers.org.
