Current:Home > My3 separate shootings mar St. Patrick's Day festivities in Jacksonville Beach, Fla. -FutureWise Finance
3 separate shootings mar St. Patrick's Day festivities in Jacksonville Beach, Fla.
View
Date:2025-04-16 14:23:03
Police are searching for multiple suspects in three different shootings that left one person dead and at least three injured as thousands crowded in downtown Jacksonville Beach, Florida, Sunday night for St. Patrick's Day festivities.
The shootings occurred near the city's beachfront after police broke up a group of up to 400 people in their late teens who gathered under the pier Sunday afternoon.
"This group engaged in boxing matches, fights and other incidents. The Jacksonville Beach Police Department had to take action," Jacksonville Beach Police Chief Gene Paul Smith said at a new conference on Monday morning. "When the crowd dispersed, that's when the shooting happened."
Police responded to the first shooting at a Best Western hotel at around 7:50 p.m., Smith said. The shooting left three people injured – two were transported to the hospital afterwards, and another self-reported an injury. Authorities believe two of the victims fired at each other, while the third was an innocent bystander, Smith said.
Less than half an hour later, reports came in of a second shooting in a parking lot outside the Ritz, a cocktail bar. No one was injured or killed, and the shooter fled the scene in a black ski mask, Smith said. Officers found one firearm.
Police responded to the third shooting, which left one victim dead, at Sneakers Sports Grille at 8:31 p.m. Officers believe three suspects pulled out firearms, Smith said. The identity of the 21-year-old victim has not been released.
The shootings are believed to be unrelated, Smith said. The investigation remains ongoing, and the identities of the suspects have not been released.
"Quite frankly, I'm pissed off," Smith said. "I want you to come to Jacksonville Beach, I want you to live here, I want you to visit, but if you break the law, we're going to put you in jail."
Smith said officials do not know if any of the shootings were gang-related. The victim who self-reported their injury in the first shooting is a known gang member, he said.
Jacksonville police have asked people to contact authorities if they have information related to the incidents.
veryGood! (47126)
Related
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- 22 attorneys general oppose 3M settlement over water systems contamination with ‘forever chemicals’
- How residents are curbing extreme heat in one of the most intense urban heat islands
- Log in to these back-to-school laptop deals on Apple, Lenovo and HP
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- Germantown, Tennessee, water restrictions drag on as supply contamination continues
- Kristen Bell reveals her daughters drink nonalcoholic beer: 'Judge me if you want'
- Toll cheats cost New Jersey $117M last year and experts say the bill keeps growing
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- French's launches mustard flavored Skittles in honor of National Mustard Day
Ranking
- South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
- Iowa state senator arrested, charged with misdemeanor during annual bike ride
- Stock market today: Asian shares advance after the Federal Reserve raises interest rates
- Shark Week 2023 is here—stream the juicy shows for less with this Apple TV 4K deal
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- Clean energy push in New Jersey, elsewhere met with warnings the government is coming for your stove
- Mega Millions jackpot soars to over $1 billion after no winner declared in draw
- Whoopi Goldberg Defends Barbie Movie From Critics of Greta Gerwig Film
Recommendation
Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
Lawsuit over Kansas IDs would be a ‘morass’ if transgender people intervene, attorney general says
Log in to these back-to-school laptop deals on Apple, Lenovo and HP
Bronny James, cardiac arrest and young athletes: What you need to know
Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
Verdict reached in trial of cop who placed woman in patrol car hit by train
Arizona teen missing for nearly four years shows up safe at Montana police station
Medicaid expansion in North Carolina will begin Oct. 1, if lawmakers can enact a budget