At least 1 killed, 4 injured in Jacksonville Beach shootings
Around 8pm officers had to break up crowd when they began to engage in fights and boxing matches, official says
March 18, 2024
Authorities in Jacksonville Beach, Florida are looking for suspects after shootings in three separate locations that killed one person and injured three others, forcing officials to impose a shutdown.
Jacksonville Beach was filled with hundreds of people who were celebrating St Patrick's Day. Police have not arrested anyone so far.
According to local media News4Jax, Jacksonville Beach Police Chief Gene Paul Smith said the "incident began Sunday with a gathering of 250-400 people in their late teens and early 20s under the pier."
Around 8pm the officers had to break up the crowd when they began to engage in fights and boxing matches, he said adding that "as the crowd separated, two young men shot at each other on the boardwalk near the Best Western."
During the shooting, a bystander among both shooters was injured.
The second shooting occurred at 8:13pm when a man in a ski mask was seen running past a bar holding a gun and firing a shot.
The third incident was reported after 8:30pm in the parking lot of Sneakers Bar and Grille. One died at the scene as a shot was fired by a person who had witnessed a disturbance.
Smith said that witnesses told investigators three men were involved in a "disturbance" and pulled out weapons, but only one fired. A 21-year-old man died at the scene.
