Florida nightclub shooting that killed 2 teens ‘ not an act of terror’: investigators

The shooting on Monday outside a party for teenagers at a nightclub in the US state of Florida, where a 14- year- old and 18- year- old died and as many as 17 others were wounded, was not an act of terror, the Fort Myers Police Department said in a statement.

The shooting in the city of Fort Myers took place just after 12: 30 am in the parking lot of Club Blu, where officers found “several victims suffering from gunshot wounds,” the city police department said in an earlier statement.

Besides the two fatalities, a local hospital said there were 17 other victims, ranging in age from 12 to 27. Police put the number of wounded at 14 to 16, with their injuries ranging from minor to lifethreatening.

“Investigators are working very hard to determine a motive,” police said. “The Fort Myers Police Department would like to confirm that this incident is not an act of terror or terrorism.”

Police said three people had been detained for questioning and that the area was deemed safe, although roads in the vicinity remained closed.

The shooting came six weeks after a massacre at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, where a lone gunman who professed sympathy with Islamist extremist groups killed 49 people.

Club Blu, located about 150 miles southwest of Orlando in the Gulf Coast city of Fort Myers, was hosting a party for people of all ages, according to a flyer posted on Twitter by local television station WINK. To enter, patrons were not required to show proof that they were of legal age to drink alcoholic beverages.

The nightclub said on its Facebook page that the shooting occurred when the venue was closing and parents were picking up their children.

“We tried to give the teens what we thought was a safe place to have a good time,” the statement said, noting that armed security guards were posted around the club. “It was not kids at the party that did this despicable act.”

Police said shots were also fired at a nearby residence, where there was one minor injury.