In a tragic incident, a Halloween party in downtown Orlando turned deadly when a gunman opened fire, resulting in two fatalities and six injuries early Friday morning. Authorities reported that a 17-year-old male suspect was quickly apprehended, as confirmed by the city's police chief, Eric Smith, during a briefing. The motive for the shooting remains undetermined. The incident occurred around 1 a.m. in the city's bar and restaurant district, where thousands of costumed revelers were celebrating. Following the initial gunfire, officers responded as panicked attendees fled on foot. The shooter then fired again about a block away, according to Chief Smith.
The six individuals who were wounded, aged between 19 and 39, were transported to a hospital and are currently in stable condition. During the briefing, Smith shared video footage from street security cameras and a police body camera that captured the shootings and the suspect's arrest. After the first shots were fired, police were able to issue a description of the suspect using security video but soon witnessed him open fire again at the second location. "Whatever his mindset was, he was going to shoot no matter what," Smith stated. Authorities recovered a handgun at the scene of the arrest and reported no other suspects are being sought. Later that day, the 17-year-old was charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a firearm and six counts of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm. More than 100 officers were on patrol for the celebration, which attracted an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 people, making it one of the largest annual events in downtown Orlando.
The Halloween celebration occurred approximately 16 kilometers from Orlando's tourist district and primarily draws local residents from central Florida. Tens of thousands of revelers are expected to celebrate downtown again the Saturday following Halloween. In response to the violence, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer declared a local state of emergency for the downtown entertainment area. For the next seven days, alcohol sales will be cut off at midnight, and a curfew will be imposed from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. Dyer remarked, “We don't make this decision lightly, and we have pursued a number of other measures before reaching this point.”
In previous Halloween celebrations, police would close off downtown streets and employ dogs to screen for weapons at entry points. However, procedures were altered following the passage of a permit-less concealed carry law in Florida in 2023. Chief Smith noted, “You can carry a weapon on a public street, if you meet certain criteria. So then that changed, we could no longer do that.” Florida State Attorney Andrew Baine indicated that his office is awaiting further information from the police investigation to determine whether the teenager will be charged as an adult.