Eight people were shot during celebrations marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Fort Pierce, Fla., and another four people were injured as they tried to flee the scene, local authorities said.
As the shots rang out, “people were running in all directions,” Hester said. Four more people were injured during that mayhem, Tonya Woodworth, a sheriff’s office spokeswoman said.
Two deputies were already on the scene on detail duty, and immediately ran toward the gunfire but could not visually confirm the shooters, Hester said. The officers were also preoccupied with providing first aid to the victims, he said. Police were on the scene Monday night gathering evidence, such as shell casings and interviewing witnesses, Hester said.The people who sustained gunshot wounds are all adults, and at least one of the four people injured while fleeing is a juvenile, Hester said.
Dozens of police officers are “following up on several leads” on potential shooters, Hester said. Authorities are aware of at least one, Hester said without providing the name of the individual. “But based on the evidence” at the scene, there appear to be additional people who fired weapons, he said.
“It’s sad that during a celebration of somebody who represented peace and equality, a disagreement results in a use of guns and violence to solve that disagreement,” Hester said.
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