Early Friday, two shootings amid a crowded Halloween celebration in downtown Orlando left two people dead and six more wounded. According to officials, a suspect has been charged with murder and is currently in custody. Shortly after one in the morning, officers reacted to gunfire in the downtown area of Orlando, Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith told reporters.
Minutes later, a second gunfire occurred nearby, and officers swiftly made an arrest, he added. After being transported to Orlando Regional Medical Centre, the six injured were in stable condition. According to him, they were between the ages of 19 and 39. Later on Friday, police said that a 26-year-old woman was also hurt when she was trampled by the crowd trying to escape.
Tyrek Hill, 25, and Timothy Schmidt Jr., 19, were the two fatalities, Orlando police confirmed CBS News on Monday. Based on observations of the massive Halloween crowds, Smith estimated that between 50,000 and 100,000 individuals might have been in the downtown area at the time of the shooting.
Jaylen Dwayne Edgar, a 17-year-old who was arrested for grand theft the previous year, was identified as the suspect. Police stated Friday afternoon that the youngster was charged with six charges of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm and two counts of first-degree murder with a handgun.
After he allegedly opened fire on a crowd in downtown Orlando, Florida, killing two people and injuring six more, 17-year-old Jaylen Dwayne Edgar was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder.
Orlando Police Department
Additionally, there was no obvious explanation for his claimed shooting spree. Smith stated that although it was unclear if the suspect knew the victims, he is thought to be the only shooter. Police released footage from a police body camera and street security cameras that documented the two gunshots and the arrest of the suspect at the second shooting site.
Halloween Shooting-Orlando
Early on Friday, November 1, 2024, in Orlando, Florida, police responded to a gunshot among crowds during Halloween celebrations, and this body camera image from the Orlando Police Department shows them apprehending a suspect. According to Smith, a firearm was found at the scene of the arrest.
The two killings represent the 18th and 19th homicides in Orlando this year, Smith stated at a separate news conference on Friday afternoon. At a news conference on Friday afternoon, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer declared that he would be imposing a local state of emergency, which would force downtown restaurants to stop selling alcohol at midnight. According to him, a curfew will be enforced from 1 to 5 a.m.
During the press conference, Orange-Osceola State Attorney Andrew Bain stated that while his agency will wait for more details from the police investigation, prosecuting the juvenile suspect as an adult is a possibility. According to Smith, this weekend will see more police patrols in downtown Orlando.