Nine people were injured after an altercation ended in gunfire in a popular Florida beach town packed with individuals celebrating the Memorial Day holiday, Hollywood police confirmed.
At least one person of interest has been detained, and police are currently looking for a second individual, Hollywood Police Department spokesperson Deanna Bettineschi told reporters. She said the incident happened following a “dispute between two groups.”
The shooting, which injured at least three minors, occurred near the Hollywood Broadwalk near the Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort, Bettineschi said during the press conference. The victims were transported to Memorial Regional Hospital and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, police said. Officials did not share information on victims’ conditions, ages or identities.
Newsweek reached out via phone, email and social media to Hollywood city and police department officials.
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Jarring footage shared on Twitter by gun reform advocate Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action, shows dozens of people fleeing the scene. A live camera near the beach captured the chaos after the shooting around 6:40 p.m. local time.
BREAKING: There are reports of a mass shooting on Hollywood Beach in Florida. According to CBS, at least seven people were shot and some of the victims are young children.
Permitless carry became law in the state in April. pic.twitter.com/C8P7iGhxaR
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) May 30, 2023
Hollywood police said they received a call about a shooting at 6:42 p.m. local time. When officers arrived at the scene, they found nine people wounded.
Shortly after 8 p.m., Hollywood police issued an alert urging people to avoid nearby areas.
“Please avoid the area of Johnson to Garfield Streets, as well as the Broadwalk, due to an ongoing shooting investigation. Heavy police presence in the area,” the department tweeted. “If you are looking to reunite with a family member, we have set up a reunification area at Johnson St and N Ocean bus loop.”
Josh Levy, the mayor of the Florida beach town located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, expressed his gratitude for those who helped the victims in a Twitter post on Monday night.
“Thank you to the good samaritans, paramedics, police and emergency room doctors and nurses for their immediate response to aid the victims of today’s shooting,” Levy said in the tweet.
Thank you to the good samaritans, paramedics, police and emergency room doctors and nurses for their immediate response to aid the victims of today’s shooting. The @HollywoodFLPD Public Information Officer will be providing further information.
— Josh Levy, Mayor of Hollywood (@JoshLevyHlwd) May 30, 2023
Levy told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that people may have “gotten caught in the crossfire.”
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.