A 17-year-old suspect has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a firearm and six counts of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm, Orlando Police announced.
Two of the six surviving victims were admitted to Orlando Regional Medical Centre in critical condition but are now listed as stable, hospital spokesperson Marlei Martinez told CNN.
Another woman was hospitalised after being trampled as bystanders desperately ran from the scene.
The attack was yet another example of gunfire interrupting ordinary American life, from parade routes to campus homecomings to a night out on the town.
The gunfire broke out several blocks away from the site of the deadly Pulse nightclub mass shooting that occurred on June 12, 2016, when a 29-year-old shooter fatally shot 49 people.
At least 53 others were injured, and police shot and killed the shooter at the scene.
CNN defines a mass shooting as an incident where at least four people were shot, excluding the shooter.
“Whatever his mindset was, he was going to shoot no matter what,” Police Chief Eric Smith said. “He walked by multiple officers. He didn’t really care.”
About 100 officers were working a detail in the area, which allowed for a quick response but did not appear to deter the shooter, Smith said.
Mayor Buddy Dyer implemented a state of emergency for businesses within Orlando’s downtown entertainment area, which will end alcohol sales at midnight and implement a curfew between 1am and 5am, he said at a Friday afternoon news conference.
“We want a downtown that is fun and vibrant, but we have experienced lately that brazen criminals are willing to come downtown and shoot and kill innocent victims right in front of our police officers,” Dyer said.
Shooting victim Anthony Berry, 20, was grazed by a bullet along his upper scalp – an injury that could’ve been more serious if it had been located a centimetre lower, Orlando Health trauma surgeon Joseph Ibrahim said at a Friday news conference.
“After it happened, the first thing I did was thank God I’m still here,” said Berry, who plans to get into nursing. Berry was walking with a friend when the shooting began.
He recalled seeing the suspected shooter make a quick motion with his hand, so Berry said he ducked before seeing a flash of white light.
His head felt warm and he realized he was injured, Berry said.
“I’m in EMT school, so I just went over trauma assessment. So I had my shirt … held the wound, I knew it was bleeding profusely,” he said.
He was later taken to a hospital.
Motive for shooting unknown
Police are investigating whether the victims were random or known to the suspect.
Video captures the moment police say the suspect passes a victim and then turns around and fires.
“Did he know him? Did he just happen to stumble across somebody who is one of his enemies for whatever reason? That’s all part of the case,” Smith said.
Large crowds gathered for Halloween festivities scattered as the shots were fired, surveillance videos from the scene show.
“Halloween is one of our busiest nights of the year,” Smith said, adding anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 people can gather for the celebration.
The suspect opened fire in the first location before running away with the crowd, Smith said, citing footage of the first shooting.
At a second location, police took down the suspect moments after he opened fire, the video showed.
Authorities are confident the shooter acted alone, Smith said on Friday afternoon, adding the suspect is not cooperating or speaking with authorities.
Security measures changed by state gun law
Measures used in previous years to screen people for weapons during the downtown Halloween celebration – including checkpoints and gun-sniffing dogs – were not possible this year because a 2023 state law allows most people to carry a concealed weapon without a permit, Smith said.
“When the law changed, basically you can carry on a public street as long as you meet certain criteria,” he said.
Dyer said on Friday, “It’s unfortunate that the changes in the state’s concealed weapons laws have made it even easier for people to carry guns and bring guns downtown.”
Authorities are considering whether to charge the suspect as an adult, said State Attorney Andrew Bain.
“Obviously, from the multiple victims and the brazen nature of the crime, there are several aggravating factors that would fit inside the matrix to charge him as an adult,” Bain said.
The suspect was being interviewed on Friday morning as police seek a motive, Smith said.
“This person right here threw away his life. For what?” Smith said.
The suspect was previously arrested on a grand theft charge in 2023, Smith said.
What we know about the victims
Orlando police released the following information about the victims.
1. Black man, 25, killed, 2. White man, 19, killed, 3. White man, 18, wounded in lower left leg, 4. White woman, 39, shot in left hand, 5. Hispanic woman, 24, shot in left leg, 6. Black man, 20, grazed in head, 7. Hispanic man, 26, shot in right foot, 8. Hispanic woman, 19, shot in upper back, lodged in the cheek, 9. Hispanic woman, 26. Not mentioned at a news conference, she was not shot but was injured when trampled as the crowd fled.
Police said they were looking into what resources to add to secure downtown through the weekend, which is usually a popular hangout spot the Saturday after Halloween, they said.