Florida shooting: two dead and up to 17 injured outside Fort Myers nightclub

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/25/shooting-nightclub-fort-myers-florida

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A shooting outside a nightclub in Fort Myers, Florida, has left two dead and as many as 17 injured, police have said.

Police responded to reports of an incident at Club Blu Bar and Grill, on Evans Avenue, at about 12.30am local time and found several victims with gunshot wounds. Two people were confirmed dead and as many as 17 people injured, with injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening.

One of the victims was 12 years old, Cherly Garn, a spokeswoman for Lee Memorial Health System, told local station WINK. In a tweet, the station said: “Lee Memorial treated 16 nightclub shooting victims. Youngest 12, oldest 27. 4 still in hospital, 1 is critical and 1 is serious.”

Three people had been detained for questioning, police said. The area around the club had been “deemed safe” although roads in the vicinity were closed as the investigation continued.

Witnesses told media there had been an argument outside the club, which was reportedly hosting an event for teenagers, before the shooting. A motive was not known.

Police said there were two other scenes connected to the shooting. One was at 2550 Parkway Street, where a house and vehicles were shot at. The other was on Ortiz Avenue, where a person of interest was detained.

The shooting comes a month after a shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, in which a lone gunman killed 49 people and wounded 53 in the deadliest such event in US history.

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report