Mass shooting in Orlando leaves two dead and six injured during Halloween celebration

At least two people were killed in a mass shooting in downtown Orlando, Florida, where a Halloween party took place Friday morning.

Gunfire broke out outside The Block, an entertainment district made up of seven separate clubs, as hundreds of revelers attended, many dressed for a costume competition with a cash prize.

Police received reports of shots fired around 1:07 a.m. at Central Boulevard and Orange Avenue, Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith said at a news conference.

Just minutes later, a second shooting was reported at Washington Street and Orange Avenue, a block north.

Six others were injured and taken to local hospitals in stable condition. The ages of the victims range from 19 to 31 years old.

Police attacked the gunman, identified as 17-year-old Jalen Dwayne Edgar, after he opened fire on the crowd a second time, immobilizing him and arresting him.

Edgar was arrested in 2023 for theft.

Police did not see Edgar enter any of the clubs when he arrived in downtown Orlando and he is believed to be the only suspect. He was armed with a gun.

During the press conference, Smith showed several videos of downtown nightlife at the time of the shooting.

In one video, Edgar, who was walking with a group, pulled out his gun and shot straight at the unsuspecting victim, sending the busy street into an uproar.

Footage of the second shooting captured the moment Edgar fired again into a packed crowd near a police cruiser.

A nearby officer spotted the teenage gunman, swept his legs out from under him and tackled him to the ground before other officers jumped onto the pile.

“They are always trained and always ready to spring into action,” Smith said. “As soon as they heard the shots, none of the officers went the other way, they didn’t go with the crowd.”

“Most of them got a little bit of cover between them, they started scanning to see what was going on and then they moved on. They took action to keep everyone else safe and that’s what these officers do and I’m very proud of them,” he said. added.

Smith estimated that between 50,000 and 100,000 people attended the Halloween celebrations.

“As you can see in this video, Halloween is one of the busiest nights of the year, and it always is,” Smith said. “Halloween night itself is busy and the Saturday after Halloween is always just as busy.”

Police have not yet released anything about the motive behind the shooting.

Officials believe Edgar was determined to commit a mass shooting as he walked through the crowd past several officers.

“Whatever his mentality was, he was going to shoot no matter what,” Smith revealed. “He walked past several officers, we followed where he went. He knew what he was going to do, what he thought his mind was going to do.

“It’s unfortunate that some people see someone they don’t like or someone they have a fight with and then they take whatever action they can,” he added.

State’s Attorney Andrew Bain said there are “several aggravating factors” that would lead to Edgar being charged as an adult.

“Due to the many victims and the brutal nature of the crime, there are clearly several aggravating factors that fit into the matrix to charge him as an adult.”