FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Families watched their kids play soccer at Mills Pond Park on Sunday in Fort Lauderdale. A woman was watching TV at a neighboring home. She said she heard the sudden “tu, tu, tu” of rapid gunfire — which sounded like fireworks to others.
Fire rescue personnel responded on Sunday afternoon to the area of Northwest 15 Avenue and 22 Street in Fort Lauderdale, found three men wounded, and took them to the Broward Health Medical Center.
The shooting left many bullet holes in a white BMW, shattered three windows, and prompted at least 22 crime scene markers. It also frightened residents who said they couldn’t remember if they had ever heard shots fired in their street before.
Sgt. Patrick O’Brien, a spokesman for the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, told Local 10 News that “three adult males were shot in their extremities, arms and legs, but nothing life-threatening.
A neighbor also told Local 10 News off-camera that their nephew, who they claim was one of the three people wounded in the shooting, needed surgery after sustaining a gunshot wound.
O’Brien also said their injuries were non-life threatening. Still, relatives waited outside of the medical center in anguish on Sunday night hoping to get updates on their conditions.
According to O’Brien, police officers detained two suspects after a pursuit ended in Lauderhill and found three guns in their car. Local 10 News has a pending request for the identities of the three injured and the two detained.
Neighbors told Local 10 News they thought they were hearing the sound of fireworks going off instead of gunshots at the time of the shooting.
“No, this never happened. I know the streets around, but not here,” said a Fort Lauderdale resident.
Authorities confirmed that there are no more suspects at large.
Detectives asked anyone with information about this or other cases to call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.
Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editor Mercedes Cevallos and Local 10 News Reporter Joseph Ojo contributed to this report.
Crime scene area