Several people were shot this Monday afternoon in Hollywood Beach, Florida, with the report of at least seven people injured, including a minor, local authorities reported.
Preliminary reports indicated that most of the people were shot in the extremities. However, the facts surrounding the shooting are being investigated.
A suspect is being sought by authorities, who police say is an African-American man with dreadlocks.
“Right now our hospitals have a couple of victims, up to 5 victims. I don’t have details on age or status at this time, it’s a fluid situation. We have a couple of minors. The victims are in the trauma center at Memorial Regional Hospital,” said Yanet Obarrio Sánchez, spokeswoman for Memorial Health Care, Telemundo Noticias reported.
Likewise, Josh Levy, mayor of the city of Hollywood, thanked through Facebook for “the good Samaritans, paramedics, police officers, and doctors and nurses in the emergency rooms for the rapid response to help the victims of the shooting.”
Agents from the Hollywood Police Department asked citizens to refrain from entering the Hollywood Beach area.
The shooting comes against a backdrop of growing crowds on Hollywood Beach due to the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
The shooting area is a popular tourist destination, located about 17 km south of Fort Lauderdale and 32 km north of Miami.