At least nine people have been injured by gunfire during a chaotic Memorial Day scene at a crowded beach boardwalk in Hollywood, Florida. Three of the injured reported so far have been children. Crowds surged away from the sound of bullets in a terrifying scene caught on video:
In the aftermath, citizens and first responders attended to those struck:
There were several sites where people tended to the injured:
Officials blame the violence on a dispute between two rival groups.
Authorities say a dispute between two groups ended in gunfire at around 6.45pm Monday in the area of the 1200 block of North Broadwalk in Hollywood Beach, near Miami. One suspect has been detained, while another is believed to still be at large…
The crowd frantically scattered for cover and away from danger when gunshots started to ring out near the Margaritaville resort.
The Hollywood police department tweeted out an advisory:
The situation has been classified as a mass casualty incident, but fortunately, no deaths have been reported.
Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy weighed in, saying “It seemed like people might have gotten caught in the crossfire. But I can’t verify that,” he said.
He also tweeted, “Thank you to the good Samaritans, paramedics, police and emergency room doctors and nurses for their immediate response to aid the victims of today’s shooting.”
The beach, located about 11 miles south of Fort Lauderdale and 20 miles north of Miami, was packed for the three-day holiday weekend as people came out to enjoy the sunshine.
Police asked for the public’s assistance:
In the meantime, investigators are asking for the public’s help in finding the suspect, who is described as a black male with dreadlocks who was last seen wearing a black short sleeve shirt and camouflage shorts.