During the Halloween festivities in Tampa, a confrontation between two groups took a devastating turn as gunshots rang out, resulting in two fatalities and 18 individuals being rushed to hospitals early Sunday morning, as confirmed by local law enforcement.
The incident unfolded on the 1600 block of East 7th Avenue in Tampa’s Ybor City area shortly before 3 a.m., according to Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw, who addressed the media at the scene.
The altercation took place in an area teeming with bars and clubs, and it coincided with the presence of a significant number of late-night revelers. Police remained uncertain whether those involved in the altercation had previously patronized any of the local bars.
Videos circulating online depicted people adorned in Halloween costumes enjoying the festivities on the streets. Suddenly, the sound of gunshots set off a chaotic stampede, causing some individuals to seek refuge behind metal tables, while footage from afterward showed law enforcement officers attending to several wounded individuals on the ground.
A barrage of approximately a dozen shots was followed by a second burst of approximately eight more shots.
Tampa Police Chief Bercaw characterized the incident as a disturbance or fight between two groups, emphasizing that hundreds of innocent bystanders were inadvertently caught up in the conflict.
Details regarding the extent of the victims’ injuries, who were transported to nearby hospitals, were not immediately disclosed.
One suspect voluntarily surrendered to the police, although investigators suspect the involvement of at least two shooters, as stated by Bercaw.
The motive behind the confrontation between the two groups remains under investigation.
Fortunately, none of the officers present at the scene during the shooting were harmed, according to Bercaw.
This incident marks the second mass shooting in the United States, following the recent tragedy in Maine, where 18 people lost their lives and many more were injured. In that case, the suspected gunman was discovered deceased after a two-day manhunt.
