Current:Home > Stocks3 separate shootings mar St. Patrick's Day festivities in Jacksonville Beach, Fla. -InvestTomorrow
3 separate shootings mar St. Patrick's Day festivities in Jacksonville Beach, Fla.
View
Date:2025-04-14 11:02:02
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! (9)
Related
- Could your smelly farts help science?
- In 'No Hard Feelings,' Jennifer Lawrence throws herself into comedy
- Madhur Jaffrey's no fuss introduction to Indian cooking
- Soldiers find nearly 2 million fentanyl pills in Tijuana 1 day before Mexico's president claims fentanyl isn't made in the country
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- Master the Color-Correcting Tricks You’ve Seen on TikTok for Just $4: Hide Redness, Dark Circles & More
- Russian jet collides with American drone over Black Sea, U.S. military says
- Courteney Cox Spills the Royal Tea on Prince Harry Allegedly Doing Mushrooms at Her House
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Billions Star Damian Lewis Announces Surprise Season 7 Return
Ranking
- Sam Taylor
- Chaim Topol, Israeli actor best known for Fiddler on the Roof, dies at 87
- Lizzy Caplan and Joshua Jackson Steam Up the Place in First Fatal Attraction Teaser
- Don't Miss This All-Star Roster for Celebrity Game Face Season 4
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- Russia says renewing grain export deal with Ukraine complicated after U.N. chief calls the pact critical
- Gunmen open fire on customers and employees in Mexico bar, killing 10
- An Orson Welles film was horribly edited — will cinematic justice finally be done?
Recommendation
Travis Hunter, the 2
Kelly Clarkson wants you to know her new album isn't just a sad divorce record
TV reboots have to answer one question: Why now? Just look at 'Justified'
Tessa Thompson Reacts to Michael B. Jordan’s Steamy Calvin Klein Ad
Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
After snub by Taylor Swift, Filipino 'Swifties' find solace in another Taylor
Elderly penguins receive custom lenses in world-first procedure
Below Deck's Captain Lee Rosbach Finally Returns After Leaving Season 10 for Health Issues