8 people shot at Florida MLK Day ‘family fun’ event
A dozen people suffered injuries when gunfire erupted at a community event in Florida honoring civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office.
Eight were struck by the gunfire, and four others were hurt in the resulting panic, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
It happened around 5:20 p.m. Monday, Jan. 16, during the 772 MLK Car Show & Family Fun Day at a county park in Fort Pierce, officials said.
“A disagreement between two parties resulted in 8 gunshot victims during a Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at Ilous Ellis Park,” Chief Deputy Brian Hester said in the release.
“One of those individuals is in critical condition. Four other individuals were injured as they were fleeing the scene.”
Conditions of the other 11 people were not released.
The four injured in the rush to escape included people hit by vehicles and others who were “possibly trampled,” station WPBF reported. One was a juvenile.
It is estimated more than 1,000 people were attending the car show when “mass chaos” erupted, TCPalm.com reported. The event was promoted as featuring “live music, a local car show, kids bounce zone, and more to honor and celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”
“There were people laying behind cars,” Hester told the news outlet. “It was kind of hard to tell who a victim was and who was just hiding.”
Investigators have not identified any suspects in the shooting, which followed a day of events that included aparade and neighborhood festival.
Fort Pierce is about 125 miles north of Miami on Florida’s east coast.
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