GUNFIRE IN I-DRIVE NIGHTCLUB LEAVES 2 DEAD AND 10 INJURED
A late-night shooting inside a crowded nightclub in the Orlando tourist district left two people dead and 10 others injured, police said.
As many as three shooters were being sought.
The shooting took place at Glitz Ultra Lounge at the corner of Universal Boulevard and Carrier Drive just before 1 a.m., Orlando Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Guido said at a news conference at the scene Sunday morning.
Three off-duty OPD officers were at the scene working as security officers when the incident took place, Guido said. The officers did not fire their weapons.
The shooting took place entirely inside the club where about 300 people were gathered, Guido said. It was unclear what led to the shooting.
One shooting victim was pronounced dead at the scene, Guido said. Another victim was
pronounced dead at Orlando Regional Medical Center.
Eight other shooting victims were at ORMC on Sunday, police said. One was in critical condition and the rest had nonlife-threatening injuries.
Another shooting victim was at the Dr. P. Phillips Hospital, police said, along with someone who was injured leaving the scene.
Guido would not give descriptions of the shooters or release the names of the victims.
Guido said that security was tight at the club, which was the scene of a shooting in October in which two people were shot and injured in the parking lot.
Besides the off-duty officers, there was additional security and people were checked for weapons when they entered.
It was not known how a gun or guns was brought into the club.
The club is in the tourist district, across the street from the Westgate Palace resort and one block from the popular Wet ’n Wild water park.
At the time of the shooting Sunday morning, Glitz was hosting a “Twisted Saturdays” reggaeton event featuring Latin/Caribbean music.
A photograph posted to the Glitz Orlando website depicts a January night at the club. In it, the throng of patrons mingle on the club’s first floor, while a man performs in a loft overlooking the crowd. A group of onlookers stand alongside him, sharing his bird’s-eye view of the space below.
At the bar beneath the loft, a green backlight illuminates an expansive collection of liquor bottles.
On Sunday morning, though, the parking lot was roped off with police tape, and several patrol cars and crime-scene unit vans were on scene.
Promoter Isaiah Miranda said he was on his way to the club when he found out about the shooting.
“I was out of the loop about what actually happened,” Miranda said. “I wasn’t sure if some of the people who got injured were friends of mine.”
The incident at Glitz came about a day after another fatal shooting at a Florida club. On Saturday, one person was killed and a handful more were injured at a Tampa strip club, according to Associated Press reports.
This is an ongoing story, check back for details.