Police in Orlando search for motive after Halloween shooting left two dead in busy entertainment district. Here's what we know - WSVN 7News

(CNN) — Orlando police are still searching for a motive for two shootings on Saturday left two people dead and injured eight others as thousands celebrated Halloween early Friday morning.

Police said they have charged a 17-year-old man with two counts of first-degree murder with a firearm and six counts of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm.

The slain men were identified as Tyreek Hill, 25, and Timothy Schmidt Jr., 19, Orlando police confirmed to CNN via email on Saturday. The injured victims were between 18 and 39 years old, police said.

Two were listed in critical condition at Orlando Regional Medical Center and later listed as stable Friday morning, hospital spokesperson Marlei Martinez told CNN. In addition, a 26-year-old woman was hospitalized after being trampled as bystanders fled.

Orlando police identified a tenth victim, who was in stable condition after taking herself to a hospital Friday morning.

This was the 27th mass shooting in Florida this year. according to the Gun Violence Archivewith more than 400 nationwide. CNN defines a mass shooting as an incident in which at least four people are shot, not including the shooter.

The suspect opened fire at the first location before running off with the crowd, Police Chief Eric Smith said, citing footage of the first shooting. At a second location, police arrested the suspect shortly after he opened fire, the video showed.

About 100 officers were working in the area, which allowed for a quick response but did not appear to deter the gunman, Smith said.

“No matter what his mentality was, he was going to shoot no matter what,” Smith said. “He walked past several officers. It didn’t really matter to him.”

Authorities believe the gunman acted alone, Smith said Friday afternoon, adding that the suspect is not cooperating or speaking to authorities. The suspect was previously arrested on grand larceny charges in 2023, Smith said.

The police are investigating whether the victims were random or known to the suspect. Video captured the moment police say the suspect passes a victim, then turns and shoots.

‘Did he know him? Did he happen to run into someone who is one of his enemies for whatever reason? That’s all part of the business,” Smith said.

The suspect was interviewed Friday morning as police searched for a motive, Smith said. “This person here has thrown his life away. For what?” said Smith.

Authorities are considering whether to charge the suspect as an adult, State’s Attorney Andrew Bain said. “Due to the many victims and the brutal nature of the crime, there are obviously several aggravating factors that would fit into the matrix to charge him as an adult,” Bain said.

The attack was yet another example of gunfire interrupting ordinary American life, from parade routes to campus homecomings to a night out on the town.

Gunfire erupted from blocks away from the scene deadly mass shooting at Pulse nightclub that took place on June 12, 2016, when a 29-year-old gunman killed 49 people. At least 53 others were injured and police shot and killed the gunman on the spot.

Here’s what we know so far about Friday’s murders and the investigation:

“Everyone started running” as shots rang out

Large crowds gathered for the Halloween festivities dispersed when shots were fired just after 1 a.m. Friday, surveillance video from the scene shows.

Sofia Alcala, who works downtown, told CNN WKMG she heard the gunshots before everyone “panicked.”

“Everyone started running,” she said. “I saw a group of people, you know, enjoying Halloween … and then shots were fired, and everyone just scattered. I heard so many girls shouting and crying.”

Within minutes, shots were fired at a second location about a block away. “Shortly after the reported shots were fired, a suspect in the shooting was located and taken into custody in Washington and Orange,” Smith said. A firearm was found at the scene, police said.

Between 50,000 and 100,000 people were in the area to celebrate Halloween, which is “one of our busiest nights of the year,” Smith said.

But this year measures are used in previous years Screening people for weapons during downtown Halloween celebrations — including checkpoints and sniffing dogs — wasn’t possible because a 2023 state law allows most people to carry a concealed weapon without a permit, Smith said.

“When the law changed, you can basically drive on public roads as long as you meet certain criteria,” he said.

The change has “made it even easier for people to carry guns and bring guns into the city,” Mayor Buddy Dyer said.

Dyer declared a state of emergency for businesses in Orlando’s downtown entertainment district. According to the police, a curfew will apply from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. until next Friday.

“We want a downtown that is fun and vibrant, but we have experienced lately that brazen criminals are willing to come into town and shoot and kill innocent victims right in front of our police officers,” Dyer said.

Police said they were exploring what resources they could add to secure the downtown area over the weekend, which is usually a popular gathering spot on the Saturday after Halloween, they said.

Some city officials are considering whether to close much of downtown, allowing access from just one point during weekends and special events, Orlando District 5 Commissioner Shan Rose said. WKMG.

“We have been working with the businesses and some of the residents downtown to explore the options of moving to a full, coordinated access point,” Rose said.

‘The first thing I did was thank God that I’m still here’

The two men killed included a University of Central Florida student, the Orlando-based college confirmed to students on Friday in an email shared with CNN.

“Our hearts are heavy with sadness as we mourn this tragic, senseless violence, which also resulted in the injury of at least one other student and may have impacted many students who were celebrating Halloween and were in the vicinity of this incident,” said the university. – the largest in Florida – said in the statement.

Anthony Berry, 20, was struck by a bullet along his upper scalp — an injury that could have been more serious if it had been an inch lower, Orlando Health trauma surgeon Joseph Ibrahim said at a news conference on Friday.

“After it happened, the first thing I did was thank God that I was still here,” said Berry, who plans to go into nursing. Berry was walking with a friend when the shooting started.

He remembered seeing the suspected shooter make a quick motion with his hand, so Berry said he ducked before seeing a flash of white light.

His head felt warm and he realized he was injured, Berry said.

“I’m in EMT school, so I just went through the trauma assessment. So I had my shirt… holding the wound, I knew it was bleeding profusely,” he said. He was later taken to a hospital.

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