General
The search continues for the suspects in the weekend shooting at busy Pier Park in Panama City Beach that left three people injured.
Police Chief J.R. Talamantez in a Monday press conference said “the majority” of four persons of interest taken into custody shortly after Saturday’s shooting have been released without charges.
However, Talamantez said he’s confident the investigation with end in the arrests of the shooters.
The chief said the gunfire erupted between two groups of people at 9:19 p.m. and said police officers were just 50 feet away when the shots rang out.
“They’re idiots. They’re so stupid they think they can pull out a gun and start shooting and think there is no consequence for that,” Talamantez said.
“That might be the case where they’re from. That’s not going to happen here. I’m confident we’ll be holding these people accountable.”
Talamantez said the majority of those involved are believed to be juveniles.
“There’s a lot of concern about the identity of these individuals,” he said. “Our suspects are believed to be from out of state and there’s no current threat that they’re still here.”
The shooting happened in the area adjacent to Dave and Busters.
Well over 50 police officers were stationed in the area, as well as the department’s mobile command center.
“Up until that point, the crowds were manageable,‘’ said Talamantez, adding that the majority of people in the area at the time were between the ages of 14 and 19.
“We knew we were going to have a large influx of students at Pier Park.”
Of the shooting, the chief said there was more than one person with a gun, and more than one person shooting.
“It was a very chaotic incident, as you can imagine,” he said. “We responded in matter of seconds.”
“Our officers that night were heroic, ran towards the gunfire, immediately rendered first aid, helped these individuals in their time of need and immediately started looking for suspects,” he said. “They’re good at their job.”
All three victims who were shot, he said, were treated for non-life-threatening injuries and have since been released from the hospital.
Talamantez said investigators the four people initially detained and said the majority of them have been ruled out as suspects. He did not elaborate.
After those interviews, however, “I am confident this case will be resolved with an arrest of the individuals firing these weapons,” he said.
“If the shooters are out there listening to this, just turn yourselves in,” Talamantez said. “It’s going to save us a drive to come and get you because it’s going to happen.”
Talamantez said his department will continue to aggressively police spring break, and that entails.
“It’s an enforcement challenge when we have thousands and thousands of underaged kids here,” he said. “There’s only so much we can do with them.”
“Make no mistake,” he said. “This police department will not let the actions of criminals to essentially make us perform unconstitutional things.”
Since the spring break season started, the chief said his officers have conducted more than 3,500 traffic stops, pulled more than 6,000 case numbers and made more than 600 arrests.
“You’re not going to come to Panama City Beach and walk all over us, but the reality is the challenges we’re facing are the challenges that everybody is facing – trying to police a community – a youth group – that does not listen to authority, that does not care if a police officer is 50 feet from them,‘’ he said.
“Nobody’s going to come here and scare this community as long as this police department is here,” he said.
Talamantez said he can’t promise a similar situation won’t happen again in the next few weeks.
“I don’t have a crystal ball,” he said. “We are planning and prepared.”
He urged those in the hospitality business to make sure they are renting to adults, and he urged parents to not allow their children to go to Panama City Beach unsupervised.
“You’re making a mistake,” he said. “We’re not babysitters. We’re police officers.”
“The sad part is every year we have to call someone and say their loved one has been hurt in Panama City Beach,” he said. “I want to stop doing that.”
Talamantez said authorities are in the planning stages of increased restrictions. He did not say what those additional restrictions would entail.
“We’re not done with spring break,” he said. “We’re not going to take our foot off the gas.”
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