A holiday weekend gathering at a Florida park leaves one dead, several injured after shooting
A pre-Labor Day gathering of hundreds at a park on Florida’s east coast turned deadly after two men fired guns at one another.
According to Martin County deputies, one man is dead and the other is hospitalized in serious condition with a gunshot wound to the face.
Both men are from Fort Pierce.
According to a Facebook post from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, about 300 people had gathered at Booker Park in Indiantown. For some undetermined reason, the two men pulled out weapons and traded shots, sending hundreds running.
Three bystanders from Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie and Indiantown were hit by bullets and treated for non-life threatening injuries at area hospitals.
The shooting happened just before midnight on Sunday “turning the event into chaos,” deputies said.
Rescue crews airlifted one of the injured gunmen to the hospital. The other was driven to the hospital and left at the receiving area without providing any information. Detectives don’t know who drove that man to the hospital and did not identify which of the two men had died.
The shooting is under investigation. Martin County deputies ask that if anyone has information about the incident or is a witness they come forward. The Martin sheriff’s office in Stuart can be reached at 772-220-7000. Anonymous tips can also be given to Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 800-273-8477.
“We’re getting literally no cooperation. Two-hundred to 300 people were there. Not one witness has come forward,” Martin County Sheriff William Snyder told WPBF News on Monday. “One moment, people are having a good time. It’s a weekend, it’s a holiday, no trouble. The next minute, gunfire erupts,” he said. “We have at least 20 to 24 casings, two different calibers, and people running for their lives.”
