News

Witnesses Say Mostly Teens Shot In Fort Myers

by Joseph D. Lyons

Yet another shooting. Once again in Florida and once again at a night club. This time it was teen night at Club Blu in Fort Meyers. No ID was required to enter the "Swimsuit Glow Party" Sunday night, so the party was open to all ages. The details are still scarce but local news stations are reporting that the shooting took place in the parking lot outside the club. What is clear, thanks to witness accounts of the Fort Myers shooting, is that the experience was traumatic for those in attendance, many of whom were only 13, 14, or 15 years old.

At least two were killed and as many as 16 were injured. Police responded to the scene at about 12:30 a.m. Tatianna Nouhaioi, who was at the event, painted a terrifying picture while speaking with ABC News:

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. 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.

Some were even younger. According to a spokesperson for Lee Memorial Hospital, the victims ranged from 12 to 27, ABC News reported. There were 16 people brought to the hospital. One died there while four are still receiving care — two in serious condition.

Another person near the scene broadcast a Facebook live transmission from the scene. Juss Olivia explained how she was forced to hide under a car:

Someone was live shooting. They just kept shooting. It was spraying everywhere. It was non-stop. We were hiding up under a car. I couldn't believe it. I've never experienced anything like that in my life. We just saw a whole load of kids just running and I wasn't even at the club. We had to run. I don't know who got shot. I was just trying to protect my sister.

A mother whose daughter was at the club spoke to Malcolm Johnson, a reporter for a local TV station. She said she was relieved that her daughter was OK but her daughter's friend was shot in the leg as they ran away:

I just thank God that my daughter is OK, because she could have been shot. Her dodging bullets and running and dropping between cars, it's ridiculous that these kids have to go through this, that they can't enjoy themselves. Because they have other people that have criminalistic minds. They just want to terrorize things. I'm just glad she's OK.

Other videos showed the scene inside of the club. The dance floor was packed as the shooting took place. Outside the club, photos and videos from the scene show a large crime scene marked off for bullet casings. Cars parked nearby had their windows shot out by bullets. Police say three people have been detained, but the identity of the shooter, as well as the victims, has not been released.