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The young man who killed 2 people and injured 7 people in a shooting attack in Florida was charged

The young man who killed 2 people and injured 7 people in a shooting attack in Florida was charged

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A gunman killed two people and injured seven others when he opened fire early Friday during a Halloween street celebration that drew thousands of costumed revelers to downtown Orlando, authorities said.

Police Chief Eric Smith said during a briefing that officers quickly arrested a 17-year-old male suspect. Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the incident.

The gunman opened fire in the bar and restaurant district of downtown Orlando around 1 a.m., police officers responded to costumed celebrants running, and the same gunman opened fire again about a block away, Smith said.

The video shows the moment when thousands of people were celebrating Halloween when gunshots were heard and at least two people died. (WKMG, WESH, ORLANDO POLICE DEPARTMENT, GOOGLE EARTH)

The seven injured, ages 19 to 39, were taken to the hospital and were in stable condition, Smith said. The 10th victim, who was crushed by the crowd as people fled, was treated.

One of the killed and injured Halloween celebrators were University of Central Florida students, the school said in a statement Friday.

The university said the shootings “may have affected many students who were out to celebrate Halloween and were near the incident.” “Our thoughts are with all our loved ones affected during this unimaginable time.”

Smith showed video from street surveillance cameras and the police body camera that captured the shootings and the suspect’s arrest.

After the first shooting, police used surveillance video to get a description of the suspect, but police later saw him open fire in the second area, Smith said.

“Regardless of his mentality, he was going to shoot no matter what,” Smith said.

Authorities said they found a handgun at the arrest scene and no other suspects were identified. The 17-year-old has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a firearm and six counts of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm, police announced later Friday.

Smith said more than 100 officers patrolled the crowds estimated to number between 50,000 and 100,000 people who came out to celebrate Halloween Thursday night and early Friday morning, one of the biggest events in downtown Orlando each year.

The Halloween celebration took place about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the tourist area of ​​Orlando and attracted primarily residents of central Florida. Tens of thousands of revelers also celebrate downtown, usually on the Saturday after Halloween.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer declared a local state of emergency for the downtown entertainment area on Friday. For the next seven days, alcohol sales will end at midnight and a curfew will be in place from 01:00 to 05:00.

“We do not make this decision lightly and have taken a number of other precautions before getting to this point,” Dyer said.

During past Halloween celebrations, police blocked downtown streets and used dogs to scan for weapons as people walked through entry points, but they changed their procedures after Florida lawmakers passed Unauthorized concealed carry law in 2023said the police chief.

“If you meet certain criteria, you can carry a gun on a public street,” Smith said. “Then the situation changed, we couldn’t do that anymore.”

Florida State’s Attorney Andrew Baine said his agency is waiting for more information from police investigating the teen before deciding whether to charge him as an adult.