Police say a 17-year-old suspect was apprehended in a shooting in downtown Orlando that left 2 people dead and 6 injured.
Orlando, Florida Police say a shooting in downtown Orlando early Friday left two people dead and six others wounded.
At a press conference, Orlando police chief Eric Smith announced that Jaylen Edgar, 17, had been taken into custody in relation to the shooting, which has no known reason.
According to the Orlando Police Department, an emergency call was sent shortly after one in the morning, reporting that multiple individuals had been shot in the vicinity of Central Boulevard and Orange Avenue. According to Smith, a second call indicated further shooting close to Orange Avenue and Washington Street.
“A shooting suspect was found and arrested at Washington and Orange shortly after reported gunfire,” Smith stated. The police witnessed Washington get the second round of gunfire. The first one on Central went unnoticed. Naturally, we used the cameras to view and replay that. At key intersections, we were able to play it back. The officers witnessed the second shooting because, as you can see, there were about five of them looking in that direction when he arrived and began shooting, and he shot several people there. We played the video back, witnessed the shooting, and immediately put out his descriptor.
According to Smith, as of this writing, Edgar is thought to be the sole suspect in the shooting. Smith also mentioned Edgar’s prior arrest in 2023 on grand theft charges.
As you can see from all the recordings, we had over 100 officers working the detail that night. They were dispersed throughout the area, but they responded promptly and performed admirably. As soon as they heard the shooting, they reacted. You know, when everyone else is running, they are sitting there waiting for someone to shoot them. The shooter was located. “They defeated him,” Smith remarked.
Smith stated that those who survived were in stable condition at the time of this report. The victims, who range in age from 19 to 39, were transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center.
Later on Friday, Orlando Regional Medical Center reported receiving nine patients hurt in downtown Orlando, however it could not specify which patients were shot.
According to ORMC officials, their circumstances as of 6:30 a.m. were:
One man, stable but critical
One woman, stable but critical
Four stable females
Two women, released
One man, who passed away
The victims’ other information has not been made public.
According to Smith, observations of the massive Halloween crowds suggest that between 50,000 and 100,000 individuals may have been in the downtown area at the time of the shooting.
During the press conference, Orange-Osceola State Attorney Andrew Bain stated that it was probable that Edgar would face adult charges pending additional investigation, based on the available information.
Smith explained why there was no gun restriction in downtown Orlando at the time by citing modifications to state law.
“I assume you’re referring to our previous practices, which included closures, dogs, and everything else that happened downtown. All of that vanished when the legislation changed, essentially allowing anyone who complied with specific requirements to carry a weapon on a public street. We can no longer do that now that that has changed,” Smith stated. “You noticed that we altered our downtown operations when the state law changed. The pets we had downtown were no longer an option. Law enforcement is constantly evolving. To sort of keep things safe down there, we are collaborating with the city and the clubs downtown to see if there is another place we can go. The majority of people are down there to have a good time, but naturally, there are always a few people who come down there with different things on their minds. As you can see, with so many people down there, we have no idea what people are carrying or if they have grudges against someone.
With very few exceptions, it is illegal for anybody under the age of eighteen to own a firearm at home, unless it is unloaded, according to state laws.
The Orlando Police Department stated in a statement that it is evaluating if more patrols are necessary on Saturday.
The Orlando Police Department would like to remind the public that safety is our first priority in the wake of this horrific occurrence. Because of the anticipated huge crowd on Halloween, about 100 cops were on patrol in Downtown at the time of the incident. Additionally, the Orlando Police Department is determining whether more patrols in Downtown are necessary this weekend.