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Shooting at Nightclub in Fort Myers, Florida, Leaves 2 Teenagers Dead Shooting at Nightclub in Fort Myers, Florida, Leaves 2 Teenagers Dead
(about 4 hours later)
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Two teenagers were killed and at least 16 others were wounded in a shooting early Monday at a nightclub here that had been hosting a party for young people, the authorities said. FORT MYERS, Fla. — Two teenagers were killed and at least 19 people were wounded early Monday, when attackers raked a crowd with gunfire outside a nightclub here that had been hosting a party for young people, the authorities said.
Police officers were called to the nightclub, Club Blu, in a palm-tree-lined strip mall in this southwestern Florida city, about 12:30 a.m. Monday. They arrived to find “several victims suffering from gunshot wounds” in the club’s parking lot, Capt. Jim Mulligan of the city’s Police Department said in a statement. Witnesses said multiple gunmen opened fire at about 12:30 a.m. outside the nightclub, Club Blu, in a palm-tree-lined strip mall in this southwestern Florida city, but the police declined to say how many shooters there were.
The police gave no immediate indication on a possible motive, but said it “is not an act of terror.” Residents of the neighborhood around the club said the area was stalked by drug dealing and violence. The club had advertised a beach-theme “swimsuit glow party,” meant primarily for teenagers, with live music, a $5 cover and no proof of age required; in a statement, the club’s owner said that the event had ended and that people were leaving when the shooting occurred.
The authorities identified the two victims killed as Sean Archilles, 14, and Stef’An Strawder, 18. The police gave no immediate indication of a possible motive, but said it “is not an act of terror.” Officers detained three people for questioning, but did not say whether those in custody were considered suspects in the shooting.
A family friend said on Monday that Mr. Strawder, who went by the nickname Dee, was an incoming senior and star basketball player at Lehigh Senior High School who aspired to play college ball. Residents of the neighborhood around the club said the area had been troubled by drug dealing and violence.
“He was like a son to me,” said the friend, Blanca Figueroa, 40. “He was a great kid, always was playing. He never would get tired.” A Facebook user calling herself Juss Olivia posted a video shortly after the shooting, saying that she had been sitting in a car across the street, near her apartment, when she heard gunfire and saw about five people “spraying nonstop, running and shooting.” She and her friends said they had joined a crowd of people fleeing on foot and ducking behind cars.
Jermaine Wilson, a witness to the aftermath of the shooting, said the parking lot had been filled with cars and loud music as the teenagers were departing the club. Then he heard gunshots and saw a person lying on the ground, bleeding, he said. The authorities identified the two victims killed as Sean Archilles, 14, and Stef’An Strawder, 18, both budding basketball stars who had just left the club.
Sean, a student at Royal Palm Exceptional School, was shot in the parking lot, and a girl with him was shot in the leg, said his brothers, John and Verly Francois. They stood outside their mother’s house, where family and friends had gathered to comfort her, and said it was hard to believe that an innocent outing with friends had ended in the death of their youngest brother.
“They were just walking to a friend’s house about a block away,” said John Francois, 19.
Sean stood just 5 feet 6 inches, but he was a basketball fanatic whose brothers called him Baby Kevin Durant because he looked so much like the N.B.A. star and always had a basketball in his hand. Sean, the youngest of four brothers, played point guard for an A.A.U. travel team, and played football.
“He really was like Kevin Durant; he could have been his son,” Mr. Francois said. “He loved to play basketball. He was always down for that. That, or chilling at home.”
Mr. Strawder, who went by the nickname Dee, was an incoming senior and star player at Lehigh Senior High School who aspired to play college ball.
“My heart hurts, I’m furious and I can’t stop shedding tears,” his cousin, Napoleon Rayner, wrote on Facebook.
A family friend, Blanca Figueroa, said: “He was like a son to me. He was a great kid, always was playing. He never would get tired.”
The wounded ranged in age from 12 to 27, said Lisa Sgarlata, the chief administrative officer of Lee Memorial Hospital. She said Lee Memorial had treated 16 victims, and three were taken to other hospitals. By midmorning, she said, all of the wounded had been released except for four patients at Lee — two in critical condition and two listed as fair.
Jermaine Wilson, a witness to the aftermath of the shooting, said the parking lot had been filled with cars and loud music as the teenagers were departing the club. Then he heard gunshots and saw someone lying on the ground, bleeding, he said.
“I saw everybody running,” said Mr. Wilson, 32, adding, “a bunch of people were screaming names.”“I saw everybody running,” said Mr. Wilson, 32, adding, “a bunch of people were screaming names.”
The authorities were also searching two other sites in the city — one on Parkway Street, where a home and several vehicles were shot at, with one person injured, and another on Ortiz Avenue. By late Monday morning, the Police Department said the area was deemed safe. The police searched two other sites in connection with the shooting — one on Parkway Street, where a home and several vehicles were shot at, with one person injured, and another on Ortiz Avenue, where the three people were detained for questioning.
Victims, ages 12 to 27, began arriving at Lee Memorial Hospital around 1:30 a.m., according to Cheryl Garn, a hospital spokeswoman. Fort Myers, with about 75,000 residents, is a fast-growing small city with big-city problems, including gang violence and a high rate of poverty. Its rates of homicide and overall violent crime, according to F.B.I. reports, are about triple the national average, and significantly higher than those of any of Florida’s large cities except Miami.
“Sixteen people were treated in the trauma center and emergency department,” she said in a statement. “One victim expired at the hospital.” “We do have our own little knife-and-gun club that are responsible for anywhere from 8 to 15 percent of the traumas that we see,” said Drew Mikulaschek, a trauma surgeon at Lee Memorial. But he said he had never seen so many people hurt in a shooting.
Four victims remained at Lee Memorial, one in critical condition, while the others were treated at the hospital and released. Two additional patients were released from other hospitals, officials said. Gov. Rick Scott of Florida traveled to Fort Myers to meet with officials and survivors, while the police continued to pore over the crime scene, where yellow markers noted the locations of dozens of shell casings.
Gov. Rick Scott of Florida said in a statement that he would travel to Fort Myers later Monday. A statement early Monday on the club’s Facebook page described the gathering as a party for young people; a promotional flier had promised “security strictly enforced.” The statement said the shooting erupted only after the event had ended, as teenagers were leaving the club and parents were arriving to pick them up.
“While we are still learning the details about what happened this morning, we know that some of the victims of this terrible incident were children,” Governor Scott said. “We will continue to pray for the victims and their families.”
As the sun rose in Fort Myers early Monday, the police were maintaining a half-mile perimeter around the nightclub. Yellow markers were placed next to dozens of shell casings scattered on the venue’s parking lot.
A flier promoting the party the night before said that Club Blu, in the Carrell Corners strip mall, was hosting a Swimsuit Glow Party with live performances, and that no identification cards would be required.
A statement early Monday on the club’s Facebook page described the gathering as a party for young people. It said the shooting erupted only after the event had ended, as teenagers were leaving the club and parents were arriving to pick them up.
“We are deeply sorry for all involved,” the statement said. “We tried to give the teens what we thought was a safe place to have a good time.”“We are deeply sorry for all involved,” the statement said. “We tried to give the teens what we thought was a safe place to have a good time.”
It added, “It was not kids at the party that did this despicable act.”It added, “It was not kids at the party that did this despicable act.”
The nightclub cultivated an image that often veered from homespun to risqué. But Mr. Francois said, “It’s known for being a violent kind of club.”
It is a place that advertises its “New Orleans style soul food” and $6.99 lunch specials. Just last week, the club was promoting a meal of pork chops with rice, macaroni and cheese, lima beans, cornbread and pink lemonade. Club Blu cultivated an image that often veered from homespun to risqué.
But other ads depict the club as a racy hot spot of scantily clad women, blaring music and flowing liquor. It is a place that advertises “New Orleans-style soul food” and $6.99 lunch specials. Just last week, the club was promoting a meal of pork chops with rice, macaroni and cheese, lima beans, cornbread and pink lemonade.
The club staged a “grand reopening” in May to debut what it described as an improved building. In a corner of an ad for the event, the club made a promise: “TIGHT SECURITY ALL NIGHT.” But other ads depict the club as a racy hot spot of scantily clad women, blaring music and flowing liquor. The club staged a “grand reopening” in May to debut what it described as an improved building. In a corner of an ad for the event, the club made a promise: “TIGHT SECURITY ALL NIGHT.”
But the club’s liquor license was revoked last month.
The attack occurred just 43 days after a gunman killed 49 people and wounded more than 50 others at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla. The attacker, Omar Mateen, who took hostages at the nightclub and was killed in a police shootout, had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State.The attack occurred just 43 days after a gunman killed 49 people and wounded more than 50 others at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla. The attacker, Omar Mateen, who took hostages at the nightclub and was killed in a police shootout, had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State.
The June 12 massacre in Orlando, which the authorities described as the worst mass shooting by a single assailant in United States history, stunned the country and spurred moves in Congress for tighter gun control.The June 12 massacre in Orlando, which the authorities described as the worst mass shooting by a single assailant in United States history, stunned the country and spurred moves in Congress for tighter gun control.
Fort Myers, about 120 miles northwest of Miami, has about 65,000 residents. Historically, it has been a winter destination; Thomas Edison and Henry Ford had homes there. The Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox have spring training there.