Seven injured in mass shooting in downtown Orlando
A mass shooting at a bustling nightlife scene in downtown Orlando has left seven people injured after a large fight broke out, police say.
At around 2am on Sunday, a group of people reportedly came to blows after bars and restaurants in the area of Wall Street Plaza and Orange Avenue in the city’s downtown core were closing, sending throngs of people spilling into the streets.
The brawl then reportedly escalated, leading to one person drawing a firearm and sending off several shots into the pack of bar-goers.
Orlando police originally reported that six people were injured, but later corrected that a total of seven people were shot amid the chaos, with six people being sent to Orlando Regional Medical Center while the seventh person took themselves to AdventHealth.
“At approximately 2.22 this morning, at Orange Avenue and Wall Street, a large fight broke out,” Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith said at a press briefing shortly after the mass shooting. “One of the combatants pulled out a handgun and fired into the crowd.”
All the victims in the shooting were listed as being in stable condition as of Sunday afternoon, the police chief confirmed, and are expected to survive.
.@OrlandoPDChief briefing media regarding a shooting in downtown. 7 victims in total, all expected to survive. (Originally reported 6).Shooter has not been identified at this time. We are asking the public if they were there or have any info call OPD: 911 or @CrimelineFL **8477. pic.twitter.com/rPKvgQGmVH
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) July 31, 2022
The suspect in the mass shooting remains at large and officers couldn’t provide a detailed description of the person.
“We’re still in the preliminary part of this investigation, so if anyone has any information please call us,” Mr Smith said during the briefing. “We really need the community’s help on this, so please reach out to us if you have any information in reference to this shooting.”
A video shared on social media by a witness at the scene of the melee shows a crowded and lively street of people leaving bars and beginning to make their way home before the scene is violently disrupted by the distinct sound of gunfire erupting onto the street, sending the person holding the camera and the bystanders jumping to the ground for cover.
The Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit group with an accompanying website that tracks every instance of gun violence across the US, reports that there have so far been 381 mass shootings this year.
