Multiple People Have Been Shot And Killed At A Florida Nightclub

Six weeks after the Orlando nightclub massacre, another mass shooting has occurred at a Florida nightclub. This time, the horrific events occurred in Fort Myers at a club that was holding a teen event. The shooting reportedly took place at 12:30 a.m., and the New York Times reports that two people have been killed with at least sixteen more injured. NBC News adds some gut-wrenching details, including how some victims were as young as 12 years old.

In a Facebook posting, the owner of Club Blu explained how the club hired armed security for the event and did everything reasonably possible to protect these teens:

“We are deeply sorry for all involved. We tried to give the teens what we thought was a safe place to have a good time. Ages 12-17. There was armed security as well as full security,inside and out. As the club was closing and parents were picking their children up … that’s when all this took place. There was nothing more we could of done az you see it was not kids at the party that did this despicable act. Our condolences to all parties involved.”

Details are still forthcoming, but NBC notes that both of the deceased are male, and three people — who may be suspects or simply people of interest — were detained for questioning. In addition, gunfire also occurred five blocks away from the club after the initial wave of violence.

Reporter Gabrielle Shirley from the local NBC station posted photos from the scene. Yellow markers depict where bullet casings were found by police.

UPDATE #1: The Associated Press reports that police are not considering this to be a terrorist act. Also, both deceased males were teenagers.

This CNN clip shows a very early, “fluid” scene outside the club. We will update this post as more details become available.

(Via New York Times, NBC News, Club Blu on Facebook & CNN)