A twelve-year-old child has reportedly been shot after gunmen opened fire at a nightclub event for middle and high school students in Florida’s Fort Meyer.
At least two people are dead and many more have been injured after the attack at Club Blu, in which victims aged between 12 and 27 were hit as they left the venue.
Older staff members were chaperoning the event and were reportedly in the car park with parents and children when the shooting occurred.
The Fort Myers Police Department is confirming two people have died and 14 to 16 have been injured at the club blu shooting on Evans Av.
— Malcolm Johnson (@Malcolmsmedia) July 25, 2016
Hundreds of shots were fired at around 1am local time. Three suspects have been detained.
Syreeta Gary’s daughter almost got shot at Club Bleu. Her best friend wasn’t so lucky. pic.twitter.com/5A3bA1EfBy
— Malcolm Johnson (@Malcolmsmedia) July 25, 2016
One mum, whose daughter survived the attack, told a reporter:
‘Well, I just thank God that my daughter is okay. She could have been shot. She was dodging bullets and dropping between cars.
‘It is ridiculous that kids have to go through this and they cannot enjoy themselves because you have people with criminalistic minds who want to terrorise people.
‘She was running away from bullets so she wouldn’t get shot. Her friend got shot in the leg.
‘They were running for safety.’
A Facebook poster advertised a teen-friendly “Swimsuit Glow Party” at the club on Sunday night, with no ID required to enter.
Here’s the ad for the Sunday night teen party at Club Blu. It was a swimsuit glow party with no ID needed. pic.twitter.com/R5uJc5TQEd
— RobSpickerWINK (@RobSpickerWINK) July 25, 2016
The area surrounding the nightclub has been cordoned off by investigators, with at least 17 victims being treated at Lee Memorial Hospital and injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening after gunmen sprayed the revellers with hundreds of bullets.
Main image: Malcolm Johnson
