OAN Staff James Meyers
8:20 AM – Friday, November 1, 2024
At least two people were killed in a mass shooting in downtown Orlando, Florida, which was hosting a Halloween celebration Friday morning.
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Gunfire erupted outside The Block, a nightlife area consisting of seven separate clubs, as hundreds of people were in attendance, many dressed for a cash-prize costume contest.
Police arrested a 17-year-old boy on suspicion of carrying out the shooting.
Authorities received reports of shots being fired around 1:07 a.m. at Central Boulevard and Orange Avenue, Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith said during a press conference.
A second shooting was reported at Washington Street and Orange Avenue, a block north, just minutes later.
Six others were wounded and rushed to local hospitals in stable condition. The victims’ ages range from 19 to 31.
Cops pounced on the shooter, who was identified as 17-year-old Jalen Dwayne Edgar, after he opened fire on the crowd a second time, immobilizing and arresting him.
In 2023, Edgar was arrested for grand theft.
Additionally, authorities didn’t see Edgar enter any of the clubs when he arrived in downtown Orlando and he is believed to be the only suspect. He was armed with a handgun.
In one video that was shown during a press conference, Edgar was walking with a group, pulled out his gun and fired point-blank at the unsuspecting victim, sending the crowded area into chaos.
Footage from the second shooting captured the moment Edgar again fired into a packed crowd near a police cruiser.
An officer nearby saw the gunman, grabbed his legs from underneath him and tackled him to the ground before other cops jumped onto the pile.
“They’re always trained, and they’re always ready to act,” Orlando Police Chief Eric 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 added.
Smith also stated that he believed there were between 50,000 and 100,000 people who attended the Halloween celebrations.
“As you can see from this video, Halloween is one of our busiest nights of the year, always is,” Smith said. “Halloween night itself is busy and the Saturday after Halloween is always just as busy.”
Meanwhile, Police have not released a motive for the shooting.
However, authorities believe Edgar was determined to commit a mass shooting, as he walked past several officers through the crowds.
“Whatever his mindset was, he was gonna shoot no matter what,” Smith revealed. “He walked by multiple officers, we followed where he came. He knew what he was gonna do, what he thought his mind was going to do.”
“It’s unfortunate some people see somebody they don’t like or somebody they have some sort of beef with and they take whatever action they’re going to take,” he added.
State Attorney Andrew Bain said there are “several aggravating factors” that will lead to charging Edgar as an adult.
“Obviously from the multiple victims and the brazen nature of the crime, there’s several aggravating factors that fit inside the matrix to charge him as an adult.”
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