ORLANDO, Fla. – Two people were killed and six others were injured early Friday in a shooting in downtown Orlando, according to police.
WKMG reported that Orlando police Chief Eric Smith said during a news conference that 17-year-old Jaylen Dwayne Edgar was arrested in connection with the shooting, the motive of which is not yet known.
An emergency call was made just after 1 a.m. indicating several people had been shot in the area of Central Boulevard and Orange Avenue, according to the Orlando Police Department. A second call reported more gunfire near Washington Street and Orange Avenue, Smith said.
“Shortly after reported shots fired, a shooting suspect was located and taken into custody at Washington and Orange,” Smith said. “(...) The officers saw the second shots get fired at Washington. Nobody saw the first one on Central. We used the cameras, of course, to see that, play it back. We had that capability to play it back at major intersections. We played the camera back, saw the shooting happen, we put out his descriptor right away, but the officers saw the second shooting happen because, I mean, you saw there’s like five officers right there looking in that direction when he came and started shooting, and he shot multiple people right there.”
At the time of this writing, it’s believed Edgar is the only suspect in the shooting, according to Smith. Edgar had previously been arrested on grand theft charges in 2023, Smith added.
“During this night, we had about 100 officers who are working the detail, spread out as you can see in all the videos. The officers responded very quickly, the officers did a great job. They responded right when they heard the shooting. You know, everybody else is running, they’re not, they’re sitting in position looking for a shooter. They found the shooter. They took him down,” Smith said.
The names of the victims, ranging in age from 19 to 39, have not been released, but Orlando police later in the morning provided more details about them.
Victim 1: Black Male, 25, Deceased
Victim 2: White Male, 19, Deceased
Victim 3: White Male, 18, Shot in lower left leg
Victim 4: White Female, 39, Shot in left hand
Victim 5: Hispanic Female, 24, Shot in left leg
Victim 6: Black Male, 20, Shot in head (graze)
Victim 7: Hispanic Male, 26, Shot in right foot
Victim 8: Hispanic Female, 19, Shot in upper back, lodged in cheek
Victim 9: Hispanic Female, 26, Injuries from being trampled. She was not shot.
No other details about the victims have been released.
Anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 people could have been downtown at the time of the shooting, judging by views of the huge Halloween crowds, according to Smith.
Sofia Alcala, who works downtown, said she heard the gunshots before everyone started “freaking out.”
“Everyone started running,” she said. “I saw a group of people, you know, enjoying Halloween ... and then shots fired, and everybody just dispersed. I heard so many girls calling and crying.”
A UCF student who did not want to be identified said she was shielded by one of the victims who had been shot.
“We were coming out of Taco Bell, and pretty much it just happened in one second,” the student said. “I just heard shots, then one of my friends tackled us to the ground, then i felt my leg get warm and I thought, ‘I got shot.’ Then I got up, and my friend was bleeding out right in front of me. It was really scary.”
Based on current information, Orange-Osceola State Attorney Andrew Bain said during the news conference that it was likely Edgar could be charged as an adult, pending further investigation.
Smith referenced changes to state law in explaining why a ban on weapons in downtown Orlando was not in effect at the time.
“I guess you’re talking about what we used to do, the closures, and we had the dogs and all that -- it was going on downtown. That all went away when, sort of, the law changed, when the law changed, and basically you can carry a weapon on a public street as long as you meet certain criteria. So when that changed, we can no longer do that,” Smith said. “When the state law changed, you saw that we changed how we did downtown. We could no longer do the dogs (that) we had downtown. Law enforcement always changes. We are working with the city, working with the clubs downtown to figure out if there’s something else we can go to, to sort of keep it secure down there. As you can see with that many people down there, we have no idea what people have, you know, on their person -- if they have grudges against somebody. You know, most people are down there to have a great time and of course you always get those few people who come down there who have different things on their mind.”
According to state statutes, it is unlawful to begin with for a person under 18 years of age to possess a firearm — other than an unloaded firearm at their home — with few exceptions.
In a statement, the Orlando Police Department said it is considering the need for added patrols on Saturday.
“In light of this tragic incident, the Orlando Police Department would like to remind the community that safety is our top priority. Nearly 100 officers were patrolling Downtown at the time of the shooting, due to the large crowd expected on Halloween. The Orlando Police Department is also assessing the need for increased patrols Downtown this weekend.”
Orlando Police Department news release (excerpt)