Two killed in Florida nightclub shooting
AT LEAST two people were killed and 14 others injured in a shooting early yesterday at a nightclub in Florida, police said, in an incident that reportedly occurred at a party for teenagers.
The attack comes just six weeks after an attack at a gay club in the state left 49 dead in the worst massacre on US soil since 9/11. Officers have detained one“person of interest” and two other individuals for questioning over the latest shooting, which happened at Club Blu in Fort Myers.
The venue was holding a party for teens at the time, according to the local CBS affiliate.
The Fort Myers Police Department reported that while two individuals were fatally shot, “at least 14-16” more sustained minor to life-threatening wounds during the episode, which occurred at approximately 12:30am (0430 GMT) in the club’s parking lot. A nearby home and vehicles were also shot at, resulting in one minor injury.
“At this time the scene is still very active as investigators and crime scene personnel attempt to determine what had occurred,” the statement said, adding that multiple area streets had been closed. Officers are “actively canvassing the area looking for other persons who may be involved in this incident”, although the area had been deemed safe.
An attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on June 12 left 49 dead in the worst gun massacre in recent US history.
Police killed the gunman, Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old US citizen of Afghan origin, after a three-hour standoff.
The Islamic State jihadist group claimed responsibility for that attack, calling the Mateen “one of the soldiers of the caliphate”. US authorities have said he was apparently radicalised after watching jihadist propaganda online. That rampage and other recent shootings have renewed debate about gun laws in the United States.
After the incident, the White House denounced the “cowardice” of US senators who failed to pass gun control legislation.
President Barack Obama, a Democrat, has repeatedly called for Republicans to realise the cost of their opposition to gun control and spending on mental health and drug treatment.
“We refuse to fund drug treatment and mental health programs. We flood communities with so many guns that it is eas- ier for a teenager to buy a Glock than get his hands on a computer or even a book,” he said at a recent memorial service for five policemen shot in Dallas.