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Florida Shooter Opens Fire At Nightclub Full Of Teenagers

In this frame from video, people gather near the scene of a fatal shooting at Club Blu nightclub in Fort Myers, Florida CREDIT: AP PHOTO
In this frame from video, people gather near the scene of a fatal shooting at Club Blu nightclub in Fort Myers, Florida CREDIT: AP PHOTO

A gunman opened fire in a Fort Myers, Florida nightclub early Monday morning, killing two and wounding at least 16 others. Many of the victims were teenagers.

According to local reports, an unidentified person started shooting at Club Blu around midnight, when the venue was shutting down. Police arrived at the scene shortly after. Sixteen people, aged 12 to 27, were brought to the Lee Memorial Hospital, where at least one person perished.

A woman who watched the shooting unfold and tried to help the victims told ABC News that the venue was full of young people.

“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,” Tatianna Nouhaioi said. “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.”

A second woman who lives in the area of the night club reported that she heard multiple guns fired at once.

It was a young teen event. There were kids

Club Blu responded to the shooting on Facebook, saying the gunman was not a young person at the event.

“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,” the club said. “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 you see it was not kids at the party that did this despicable act.”

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Most of the victims have been released from the hospital, but two remain in critical condition. Police haven’t made any arrests, however they did detain three people of interest.

This is the second mass shooting in Florida this summer. In June, a gunman opened fire in an Orlando night club during Pride Week, killing 49 people and injuring 53 others.

This is a developing story.

Update:

Fox News reported on Monday morning that police say the shooting was “definitely not terrorism,” and quoted a law enforcement official as saying it appears it was gang-related.