A gun man attended the Club Blu nightclub in Fort Myers in
Florda
Two people were murdered and some 16 were wounded by the
gunman
Police said they are investigating reports of shootings in
three locations
Victims said they had to duck behind cars to avoid the hail
of bullets
Shooting comes six weeks after another at an Orlando club on
June 12
By DARREN BOYLE FOR MAILONLINE and LIAM QUINN FOR
BE INFORMED
PUBLISHED: 08:10 GMT, 25 July 2016 | UPDATED: 13:07 GMT, 25
July 2016
Two people have been murdered and 16 have been wounded in a
mass shooting at a Florida night club.
The gunman opened fire in the parking lot hitting children
as young as 12 outside Club Blu Bar and Grill, in Fort Myers in Florida,
shortly after 12:30am.
It comes just six weeks after 49 people were murdered and 53
wounded while partying in Orlando, when a gunman opened fire inside Pulse - a
local gay night club - on June 12.
The shooting in June, carried out by Omar Mateen, was the
worst gun massacre in U.S. history.
It sparked fresh debate on gun control, with President
Barack Obama saying at the time: 'We flood communities with so many guns that
it is easier for a teenager to buy a Glock than get his hands on a computer or
even a book.'
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A gunman opened fire in a parking lot of a Florida night
club, hitting children as young as 12. Pictured in the scene of the shooting
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A bullet is seen on the ground outside the Club Blu Bar and
Grill, in Fort Myers, Florida, where at least two people were killed in a
shooting
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Four people are described as being in a critical condition
in hospital including a 12-year-old child.
According to the Naples Daily News, one victim is in a critical condition and
four are still in hospital. One victim has reportedly been treated and released
from Cape Coral Hospital, while other victims have been treated by other
hospitals in the area.
The victims are aged between 12 and 27 according to hospital
sources.
Witnesses described the scene at Monday's shooting as that
of a 'mad house'.
The shooting happened outside the club that was hosting a
'Swimsuit Glow Party'
Lieutenant Jim Mulligan of Lee County Sheriff's Office
confirmed as many as 17 people had been shot.
The area was later deemed safe, but Captain Mulligan said a
street was still closed as authorities investigated.
Authorities said the Fort Myers police and the Lee County
Sheriff's Office were canvassing the area looking for other persons who may be
involved in the incident.
The names of the victims were not immediately available.
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The shooting happened outside the Florida night club that
was hosting a 'Swimsuit Glow Party'
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Police said that officers responded to the parking lot of
Club Blu at around 12:30 a.m. to find multiple people suffering gunshot wounds
ranging from minor to life-threatening
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Club Blu posted a statement on Facebook, saying it is
'deeply sorry for all involved'. 'We tried to give the teens what we thought
was a safe place to have a good time,' the statement read
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Syreeta Gary's daughter survived the attack. Speaking on a
Twitter video, she said: '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 terrorize people.
'I'm just glad that she's okay.
'She was running away from bullets so she wouldn't get shot.
Her friend got shot in the leg.
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The shooting took place at Club Blu in Fort Myers, Florida
shortly after 12.30am at a teenage disco
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A woman who escaped the shooting said she hid under her car
as shots kept being fired at the night club
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Two people have been confirmed dead and approximately 16
people have been wounded in the shooting
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Timothy Settles broadcast on Facebook from his hospital bed
and said he did not want to die after the shooting
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Timothy Settles posted this message on social media after
the shooting took place on Monday morning
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'They were running for safety.'
Police said another person was wounded five blocks from the
nightclub where the gunman opened fire on a house and a car before fleeing.
The gunman was arrested at a third location.
Witnesses reported hearing at least 30 rounds being fired
during the incident.
Timothy Settles wrote on Facebook that he did not want to
die.
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Police secured the scene last night and put evidence markers
beside the bullet casings left by the killer
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Police have not yet established a motive for the shooting
which took place in the early hours of this morning
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The gun man killed two people in a shooting outside Club Blu
before shooting at a house and a car on Parkway Street. The 'person of interest
was arrested a short distance away on Ortiz Avenue in Fort Myers, Florida
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The victims were attending a Swimsuit Glo Party in Club Blu
Bar and Grill in Fort Myers in Florida
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Three people had been detained for questioning, the police
said, and the area was 'deemed safe' although roads in the vicinity were closed
as the investigation continues.
Local television reported that the club was hosting a 'teen
night'.
The shooting comes six weeks after a massacre at a nightclub
in the Florida city of Orlando, in which a lone gunman killed 49 people in the
deadliest mass shooting in US history.
Speaking to ABC News, Tatianna Nouhaioi said: 'The kid I was
holding in my lap, he was 14 years old that got shot.
'And then there was a little girl who also got shot and she
was 13. One of the security guard's daughters got shot, so I mean there was
kids 13, 14, 15, 16. It was a young kids event.'
Witness Juss Olivia broadcast on Facebook Live from outside the club.
She said: 'All I know. I can't believe we are alive. There
was a shooting. We had to pray.
'I was like "get down". They were not getting down
fast enough for me.
'I wasn't even thinking about myself, I didn't want my
sister to die.
'We was hiding under a car. I have never experienced
something like that before.
'We were sitting in the car and five people were running. We
got out of the car and hide under the car.
'I don't know who got shot because we was under the car.'
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It is claimed that at least 30 rounds were fired by the
killer before he fled the scene to another shooting
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The gunman opened fire for a second time five blocks from
the club shooting at a house and a car
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The killer struck as youngsters were leaving the disco, many
being picked up by their parents
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Olivia said when he got out from underneath the car she saw
someone lying on the floor.
The club released a statement on its Facebook page stating
the incident happened at closing time when the young people were leaving.
According to the statement: 'We are deeply sorry for all
involved. We tried to give the teens WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS A SAFE PLACE TO HAVE A
GOOD TIME.
'Ages 12-17. There was armed security as well as full
security,inside and out. As the club was closing and parents were picking their
children up.....that's when all this took place.
'There was nothing more we could of done az you see it was
not kids at the party that did this despicable act.'
Last week the club hosted a 'Girls go Wild' party dubbed the
'no panties edition'.
The Fort Myers Police Department reported that while two
individuals were fatally shot, 'at least 14-16' more sustained minor to
life-threatening wounds during the episode, which occurred at approximately
12:30 am in the club's parking lot.
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Three people have been arrested by Fort Worth Police
Department including 'a person of interest'
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The club hosted an 18+ Glow Party earlier this month, which
was a similar themed event to the one on Sunday night
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A nearby home on Parkway Street and vehicles were also shot
at, resulting in one minor injury, the department said in a statement.
A spokesman said: 'At this time the scene is still very
active as investigators and crime scene personnel attempt to determine what had
occurred.'
Officers are 'actively canvassing the area looking for other
persons who may be involved in this incident', although the area had been
deemed safe.
President Obama has recently condemned the spate of gun
murders in the United States and the failure of Congress to act on the issue.
Last month, Democrats staged an unprecedented 24-hour sit-in
in Congress after Republicans refused to allow a vote on two widely supported
measures.
Police do not yet have a motive for the fatal shooting.
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