Teen suspect in deadly Orlando Halloween shooting charged as an adult. Here's what we know - WSVN 7News

(CNN) — The 17-year-old suspect in the deadly shooting during Halloween celebrations in downtown Orlando was charged as an adult Friday morning, prosecutors announced.

Jaylen Dwayne Edgar was arrested at the scene where police body camera footage showed a large crowd running from the shots that killed two people and injured six others.

“To shoot into such a huge crowd shows a true disregard for life, and the only option is to charge this defendant as an adult as it fits the egregious nature of the crime,” State’s Attorney Andrew Bain said Monday at a press conference.

Bain said two charges of second-degree murder have been filed against Edgar, and more charges are expected. He added that a grand jury could upgrade the charge to first-degree murder. “The video clearly showed him shooting someone in the eye at close range,” Bain said.

The slain men were identified as Tyreek Hill, 25, and Timothy Schmidt Jr., 19, Orlando police told CNN in an email on Saturday. The injured victims range in age from 18 to 39, 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. A tenth victim was in stable condition after taking herself to a hospital Friday morning, Orlando police said.

It was not immediately clear whether Edgar had legal representation for the charges filed against him as an adult.

The gunfire was the 27th mass shooting in Florida this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, and among 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 one location before running away with the crowd, Police Chief Eric Smith said, citing video footage. At a second location, the suspect opened fire again and police arrested him moments later, the chief said.

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 was 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.

“The broader issue is keeping guns and access to them out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them, especially our young people,” Bain said Monday.

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

The gunfire erupted just steps from the scene of the deadly Pulse nightclub mass shooting that occurred 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 about how Friday’s shooting went down:

“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 affiliate WKMG that 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 shooting suspect was located and taken into custody in Washington and Orange,” Chief 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. Police said a curfew from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. will be in effect until Nov. 8.

“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 were considering whether to close much of downtown, allowing access from only one point during weekends and special events, Orlando District 5 Commissioner Shan Rose told 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’

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

Timothy Schmidt Jr. was a freshman in college and hoped to follow in his father’s footsteps as a businessman, according to a GoFundMe set up in his memory.

“He was an extraordinary person, a loving son, a caring friend, a talented football player, a great teammate, a kind soul, a hardworking student and an individual with an extremely warm heart and a witty sense of humor,” the GoFundMe said.

“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 email.

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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