ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Two people were killed and seven others were wounded in two shootings that took place among crowds during Halloween celebrations in Orlando early Friday, authorities said.
Officers responded to a report of shots fired in the city’s downtown shortly after 1 a.m. A second shooting minutes later happened within a short distance of officers and they quickly made an arrest, the city's police Chief Eric Smith said during a briefing Friday morning.
The seven wounded, who range in age from 19 to 39, were transported to a hospital for treatment and were in stable condition, Smith said.
One of the Halloween celebrants killed and another who was injured were students at the University of Central Florida, the school said in a statement on Friday.
A 17-year-old male suspect was taken into custody, said Smith, who showed video from street security cameras and a police body camera showing the two shootings and the suspect's arrest at the second shooting location.
After the first shooting, police used security video to put out a description of the suspect, but the second shooting happened near police and officers saw the attack, Smith said.
“Whatever his mindset was, he was going to shoot no matter what,” Smith said, noting that the suspect's motivation is part of the ongoing investigation.
A handgun was recovered at the arrest scene and there are no other suspects, he said. Police announced later Friday that the 17-year-old has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a firearm and six counts of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm.
There were more than 100 officers patrolling the crowds estimated between 50,000 and 100,000 people who were out celebrating Halloween on Thursday night and early Friday morning, Smith said.
Florida State Attorney Andrew Baine said charging the teen suspect as an adult is a possibility but his agency would await further information from the police investigation.
