Florida: A shooting near Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (Florida A&M University) in Tallahassee, Florida, on Saturday night left 12 people injured, including six juveniles, police said.
Eleven of the victims sustained gunshot wounds, while the 12th person, the grandmother of one of the victims, was injured while fleeing the scene, according to USA Today.
The shooting occurred just before 8 pm local time near the intersection of Perry and Manatee streets, close to Bragg Stadium and the university's campus, according to the Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) and the university.
As of 11.30 pm on Saturday, three of the shooting victims had sustained serious injuries, while nine others were reported to be in stable condition, the TPD said. The 12 victims comprised six adults and six juveniles. The youngest person shot was reportedly 11 years old, according to the New York Post.
Traffic camera footage showed police vehicles and road closures near the scene on Saturday night.
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Police investigate altercation before shooting
“Early findings indicate a physical altercation occurred prior to the shooting,” the TPD said in an official statement.
According to the New York Post, an altercation at a homecoming party escalated into gunfire, with a fight involving two or three individuals preceding the shooting.
The TPD's Violent Crimes Unit has taken over the investigation. Detectives are working to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and identify those responsible.
Police chief expresses concern over injured children
Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell expressed concern over the injuries, particularly those suffered by children, and praised officers who helped victims in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
“Tonight, our thoughts are with the victims and their families as they face the devastating impact of this violence,” Revell said.
“It is especially heartbreaking to know that children are among those injured,” he added.
The police chief said officers risked their own safety to help victims before the scene was fully secured.
“In the moments immediately following the shooting, and before the scene was fully secure, our officers put their own safety at risk to carry victims to safety and transport them to the hospital. Their actions were nothing short of heroic and reflect the courage and compassion our officers bring to this community every day,” Revell said.
“As our detectives work to determine exactly what happened and identify those responsible, we remain committed to getting answers for these families. We ask anyone with information to come forward and help us do just that,” he added.
The police department said the investigation remained active and ongoing, cautioning that the information was preliminary and could change as investigators gathered evidence and spoke with witnesses.
(With inputs from ANI & Reuters)
