Official: 6 shot near Florida stadium, possibly gang-linked

JACKSONVILLE, FLA. — Six people have been wounded, some seriously, in what is being investigated as a possible gang-related shooting blocks from the stadium where the Jacksonville Jaguars were hosting the Hous- ton Texans on Sunday.

Ron Lendvay, director of investigations for the Jack- sonville Sheriff ’s Office, said the shooting erupted near a laundromat at 12:35 p.m. Sunday and that five men and one woman ranging in age from their 20s to the 70s were rushed to the hospital.

He reported no link to the game, which went on without incident. Speaking at an afternoon news briefing near the laundromat on a boulevard blocks away, Lend- vay said, any fans parked near the shooting site were being escorted to their cars to retrieve them afterward and leave what he called an “active crime scene.”

The Texans won their fourth consecutive game Sunday, defeating the Jaguars 20-7 at TIAA Bank Field. Local media reports cited authorities as saying the shooting had no impact on game day operations.

Lendvay told reporters a shooter fired from the pas- senger side of a gray sedan driven by someone else, but details were still sketchy Sunday afternoon and investigators haven’t determined a motive. He said the car left the area and authorities were checking surveillance video to try to locate it and find those involved.

“There were at least two people in the car,” Lendvay said. He added investigators don’t know if others were in the car and he didn’t rule out the possibility of addi- tional shooters. Said Lendvay: “We just don’t know.”

He also said he had no immediate update on the conditions of the wounded or their identities later Sunday.

“A couple of them were in very serious condition on their arrival at the hospital,” Lendvay said. He added that five of the wounded were rushed by paramedics for emergency care and that the sixth person was taken by private vehicle to a hospital.

He also said that authorities have been unable to immediately determine whether there was any relationship between the victims.

“We haven’t been able to interview them (the victims) at all. It’s hard to say if they are all associated or not,” he added.