Video of Gunfire Erupting on Hollywood Beach Viewed More Than 5m Times

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CCTV footage of the moment gunshots broke out at Hollywood Beach, Florida, on Memorial Day has gone viral, being seen nearly 6 million times in less than 12 hours.

Nine people were injured after an altercation between two groups resulted in gunfire as beachgoers enjoyed the sun at the end of Memorial Day. According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, citing local police, five adults aged between 25 and 65 and four children with ages ranging from 1 to 17 were wounded.

Hollywood Police Department spokesperson Deanna Bettineschi told the newspaper one person had been taken into surgery, while the others, including the 1-year-old, were in a stable condition.

The video, first posted by Joel Franco, a former 7 News Miami reporter, shows people running south along Hollywood Beach Broadwalk at around 6:41 p.m. ET—a minute before Hollywood police said they received a call about a shooting.

Law enforcement officers are seen on a crime scene as they respond to a shooting at Hollywood Beach on May 29, 2023 in Hollywood, Florida. Nine people were hospitalized after an altercation ended in gunfire.
Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images

Another angle then shows the northerly direction. A person runs from a beachfront shop while two others attend to what appears to be a woman lying on the sand with a leg injury.

The footage was then reposted by Shannon Watts, founder of grassroots gun safety group Moms Demand Action, and as of 5:15 a.m. ET on Tuesday has been seen 5.7 million times.

“Permitless carry became law in the state in April,” she noted.

Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed a new law that allows people in the state to carry a concealed firearm without a license on April 3. Those who wish to do so will still be required to pass the safety checks needed to acquire a gun permit.

However, the law is not due to come into effect until July 1—meaning Florida residents who wish to carry a concealed gun are still currently required to have a license and undergo firearms training.

While the law was criticized by Democrats, gun rights advocates and some local law enforcement in Florida welcomed the move.

Bob Gualtieri, sheriff of Pinellas County, which encompasses Clearwater and St. Petersburg near Tampa, told the Tampa Bay Times the bill has “nothing bad in it.” He reportedly advised on the school safety elements of the law.

Newsweek contacted the office of the Florida governor via email for comment on Tuesday.

Other footage circulating on social media shows police rushing to the scene and medical crews attending to the injured.

In a statement on Monday night, City of Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy said he was “saddened and angered” by the incident “where innocent bystanders were injured as a result of this shooting altercation between two groups.”

“People come to enjoy a holiday weekend on the beach with their families, and to have people in complete reckless disregard of the safety of the public—and to have an altercation with guns, in a public setting with thousands of people around them—is beyond reckless,” he added.

Hollywood police urged people to avoid the area due to its ongoing investigation shortly after 8 p.m., and said there would be a “heavy police presence in the area.”

Bettineschi said one person had been detained, but that the force was still searching for another suspect—described as a Black man with dreadlocks, wearing a black short-sleeve shirt and camo shorts—CNN reported. It was unclear what prompted the dispute.

Newsweek approached Hollywood Police Department via phone for further details on Tuesday.

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