Fatal Shooting Causes Panic At Florida Zombie Festival [UPDATE]
Fatal gunfire broke out during a zombie-themed street festival in Fort Myers, Fla., Saturday night, the Associated Press reports.
One person was killed in the shooting, which occurred just before midnight. Five people were wounded, but, according to the Fort Myers-based News-Press, none of their injuries are life-threatening.
Police say the shooter remains at large.
ZombiCon organizers describe the event, now in its ninth year, as “a massive zombie-themed charity street fest.” Members of Pushing DaiZies, Inc.—the art collective behind ZombiCon—have released a statement on the shooting, via Facebook:
“The organizers of [ZombiCon], Pushing DaiZies, Inc. are deeply saddened by the news of what happened within the footprint of our event. We take the safety of our patrons very seriously and take precautions in hiring security and police officers for our annual event. Our prayers go out to the family members and individuals involved in the incident.”
I’ve reached out to the Fort Myers Police Department and ZombiCon organizer Rachel Spiller for more information, and I’ll update if and when I hear back.
Update, 3:20 p.m.: An earlier version of this story mistakenly identified, without naming, a 20-year-old student at ASA College’s Miami campus as the shooter. The student, Expavious Tyrell Taylor of Okeechobee, was actually the person who died in the shooting. The News-Press reports that five additional people were injured by the shooter, not six, as this story previously reported.
