Current:Home > Finance3 separate shootings mar St. Patrick's Day festivities in Jacksonville Beach, Fla. -AssetScope
3 separate shootings mar St. Patrick's Day festivities in Jacksonville Beach, Fla.
NovaQuant View
Date:2025-04-11 11:51:31
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! (383)
Related
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- Apple moves into virtual reality with a headset that will cost you more than $3,000
- OceanGate wants to change deep-sea tourism, but its missing sub highlights the risks
- In a stunning move, PGA Tour agrees to merge with its Saudi-backed rival, LIV Golf
- Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
- Inside Clean Energy: Some EVs Now Pay for Themselves in a Year
- ¿Por qué permiten que las compañías petroleras de California, asolada por la sequía, usen agua dulce?
- ‘We’re Losing Our People’
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Spare a thought for Gustavo, the guy delivering your ramen in the wildfire smoke
Ranking
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- Inside Clean Energy: Flow Batteries Could Be a Big Part of Our Energy Storage Future. So What’s a Flow Battery?
- Eva Mendes Shares Rare Insight Into Her and Ryan Gosling's Kids' “Summer of Boredom”
- The migrant match game
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Georgia is becoming a hub for electric vehicle production. Just don't mention climate
- The FAA is investigating the latest close-call after Minneapolis runway incident
- Untangling All the Controversy Surrounding Colleen Ballinger
Recommendation
$73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
Olivia Rodrigo's Celebrity Crush Confession Will Take You Back to the Glory Days
And the award goes to AI ft. humans: the Grammys outline new rules for AI use
Saudi Arabia cuts oil production again to shore up prices — this time on its own
Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
‘We’re Losing Our People’
Victor Wembanyama's Security Guard Will Not Face Charges After Britney Spears Incident
The Terrifying True Story of the Last Call Killer