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On Monday, January 16, 2023, a shooting at an MLK Day event in Fort Pierce, Florida, led to 8 people being injured.
According to CNN, the incident emerged from an altercation between multiple individuals during a car and bike show in Fort Pierce's Ilous Ellis Park. The event, which had over 1000 attendants, descended into chaos after shots were fired at approximately 5.20 pm.
As per the St Lucie County Sheriff's Office, eight adults were transported to local hospitals in the aftermath of the shooting, including one victim in critical condition. Fort Pierce authorities stated that four other individuals were injured as bystanders attempted to leave the scene.
Bystanders rushed to provide aid to the Fort Pierce shooting victims
According to NBC Miami, the Fort Pierce shooting emerged from an argument between two groups of individuals. It is believed that more than one shooter was involved in the incident.
St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Brian Hester summed up the shootout in an official statement. Hester said:
“It’s really unfortunate and it’s sad that during a celebration of someone who represented peace and equality, a disagreement results in a use of guns and violence."
He continued:
“As the shots rang out, people were just running in all directions. As our deputies were arriving and entering the scene… it was mass chaos there. There were people laying behind cars, laying behind anything they could lay behind. It was kind of hard to tell who was a victim and who was just hiding at that point.”
Hester added that as victims lay on the floor, many bystanders tried to help them by providing basic aid. He also said that two sheriff's deputies were at the scene, attempting to help victims and pacify the situation.
Hester said:
“It’s really unfortunate and it’s sad that during a celebration of someone who represented peace and equality, a disagreement results in a use of guns and violence."
The identities of potential suspects have not been disclosed by the authorities.
Violent crime in St. Lucie County
According to TC Palm, while crime has decreased in St. Lucie County in recent years, Fort Pierce remains one of the most violent cities in the region.
In 2020, Port St. Lucie police Chief John Bolduc acknowledged that while overall crime in the County had decreased, violent crime seemed to rise.
Bolduc said:
“What’s disturbing over the last couple of years is violent crime is trending up."
However, authorities stated that community engagement initiatives have meant that despite the rate of violent crime, authorities have still managed to close several cases.
Sgt. Sam Cooper told TC Palm reporters:
“I think we’re doing a pretty good job of investigating the crimes that we’re getting, especially violent crimes."
The Fort Pierce shooting is currently under investigation.
