At least nine people, including children, were hospitalized Monday after an altercation ended in gunfire along the beach broadwalk in Hollywood, Florida, police said.
Hollywood Police spokeswoman Deanna Bettineschi said they received calls about multiple people who were shot near Johnson Street after two groups got into an altercation which resulted in gunfire shortly after 6:30 p.m. Monday.
Nine gunshot victims — including four children between the ages of 1-17 years old — were taken to Memorial Regional Hospital and Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, Bettineschi said. Five adults between the ages of 25-65 were also hospitalized.
One of the victims underwent surgery, while the rest were in stable condition, police said. By Tuesday morning, three of the adults had been treated and released from the hospital.
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The identities of the victims weren't released.
Police detained one person of interest and said another person was at large.
"Thank you to the good Samaritans, paramedics, police and emergency room doctors and nurses for their immediate response to aid the victims of today’s shooting," Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy said in a post on Facebook.
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Video from the city of Hollywood's live feed of Hollywood Beach appeared to show the moments immediately after the shooting, with people seen running or seeking cover when the gunshots were fired.
Cellphone video from a witness showed paramedics tending to multiple people with injuries on the beach.
"I heard like three gunshots and I just see a wave of people running off, like screaming and running out," witness Marvin Mikhail said.
"I am deeply saddened and angered by today’s shooting incident in our city that resulted in injuries to innocent bystanders," said Mayor Levy in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families during this difficult time."
At Memorial Regional Hospital, a patient unrelated to the shooting described the chaos as paramedics brought the shooting victims to the trauma center.
"There was a whole bunch of traumas and we were hearing it off the speakers all through our visit here," Cheyenne Ramos said. "It was pretty intense, there were a lot of nurses in and out of the emergency room trying to see what was going on because there was so many people coming in."
People were asked to avoid the area from Johnson to Garfield Streets in addition to the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk. A reunification area was set up at the Johnson Street and North Ocean bus loop.
Beaches in South Florida, including the Broadwalk, have seen a rush of visitors in recent days for Memorial Day weekend.
"Law enforcement agencies are fully engaged in their investigation, and I assure you that no stone will be left unturned in bringing the perpetrators to justice," said Mayor Levy. "We will utilize every available resource to apprehend those responsible for these injuries."
