USA TODAY US Edition

St. Patrick’s Day events marred by three shootings in Fla.

- Thao Nguyen and Cybele Mayes-Osterman

Police are searching for multiple suspects in three different shootings that left one person dead and at least three injured as thousands crowded in downtown Jacksonvil­le Beach, Florida, on Sunday night for St. Patrick’s Day festivitie­s.

The shootings occurred near the city’s beachfront after police broke up a group of up to 400 people in their late teens who gathered under the pier Sunday afternoon.

“This group engaged in boxing matches, fights and other incidents. The Jacksonvil­le Beach Police Department had to take action,” Jacksonvil­le Beach Police Chief Gene Paul Smith said at a new conference on Monday morning. “When the crowd dispersed, that’s when the shooting happened.”

Police responded to the first shooting at a Best Western hotel at around 7:50 p.m., Smith said. The shooting left three people injured – two were transporte­d to the hospital afterward, and another self-reported an injury. Authoritie­s believe two of the victims fired at each other, while the third was an innocent bystander, Smith said.

Less than half an hour later, reports came in of a second shooting in a parking lot outside the Ritz, a cocktail bar.

No one was injured or killed, and the shooter fled the scene in a black ski mask, Smith said. Officers found one firearm.

Police responded to the third shooting, which left one victim dead, at Sneakers Sports Grille at 8:31 p.m. Officers believe three suspects pulled out firearms, Smith said. The identity of the 21-year-old victim has not been released.

The shootings are believed to be unrelated, Smith said. The investigat­ion remains ongoing, and the identities of the suspects have not been released.

“Quite frankly, I’m pissed off,” Smith said. “I want you to come to Jacksonvil­le Beach, I want you to live here, I want you to visit, but if you break the law, we’re going to put you in jail.”

Smith said officials do not know if any of the shootings were gang-related. The victim who self-reported an injury in the first shooting is a known gang member, he said.

Jacksonvil­le police have asked people to contact authoritie­s if they have informatio­n related to the incidents.

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