Halloween turned deadly in Orlando, Florida, early Friday as a pair of shootings left two people dead.
Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith said six people were wounded in the shootings and another person was trampled amid the chaos caused by the gunfire, according to WESH.
The two people were shot to death, ages 19 and 25.
Police said the shootings took place as between 50,000 and 100,000 people had flocked to Orlando to celebrate Halloween.
The shootings took place shortly after 1 a.m., Orlando police posted on Facebook.
A suspect was arrested at the second location where shots were fired.
Police said Jaylen Dwayne Edgar, 17, who had a prior arrest in 2023 for Grand Theft has been detained.
Victims ranged in age from 19 to 39 years old, police said, WESH reported.
Do you support police officers?
Yes: 99% (213 Votes)
No: 1% (3 Votes)
“Nearly 100 officers were patrolling Downtown at the time of the shooting, due to the large crowd expected on Halloween. The Orlando Police Department is also assessing the need for increased patrols Downtown this weekend,” the police post said.
WARNING: The following video contains images and audio that may be disturbing for some readers.
UPDATE: The Orlando Police Department has released video footage capturing the shooting incident in Downtown Orlando, along with the arrest of the suspect, Jaylen Dwayne Edgar.
See our previous post on Facebook for additional information: https://t.co/nWlMTFlNEz pic.twitter.com/37adF1Bxzb
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) November 1, 2024
A video posted to X presented a montage of surveillance video and bodycam video from the incident.
At the beginning, an individual in a yellow shirt was shown walking away from a crowd, before turning to fire a gun toward a man who appeared to have been shot in the head. The fate of the individual shot was not known.
Later in the video, an individual in yellow is shown fleeing from the scene until a police officer brings him to the ground.
“I saw him shoot. I saw him shoot,” an officer can be heard saying.
Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith praised the response of his officers, according to the New York Post.
“They’re always trained, and they’re always ready to act,” Smith said. “As soon as they heard the shots fired, none of the officers went the other way. They didn’t go with the crowd.”
“Most of them got a little cover between them, they started scanning to see what was going on, and then they moved. They took action to keep everyone else safe, and that’s what these officers do, and I’m very proud of them,” he said.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
