2 dead, 6 injured in shooting in downtown Orlando; 17-year-old suspect arrested, police said

ORLANDO, Fla. — Two people were killed, six others were injured and another person was trampled and injured in a shooting in downtown Orlando early Friday, police said.

Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith said during a news conference that 17-year-old Jaylen Edgar was arrested in connection with the shooting, the motive for which is not yet known.

(MORE: What we know about the victims)

According to the Orlando Police Department, a 911 call came in shortly after 1 a.m. indicating that several people had been shot in the area of ​​Central Boulevard and Orange Avenue. A second call reported more shots fired near Washington Street and Orange Avenue, Smith said.

“Shortly after shots were reportedly fired, a suspect was located and taken into custody at Washington and Orange,” Smith said. “(…) The officers saw the second shots fired at Washington. Nobody saw the first one on Central. Of course we used the cameras to see and reproduce this. We had the opportunity to replay it at key intersections. We played the camera, saw the shooting happen, we immediately released his description, but the officers saw the second shooting because, I mean, you saw there were about five officers right there looking in that direction when he came and started shooting, and he shot several people right there.”

At the time of writing, Edgar is believed to be the only suspect in the shooting, according to Smith. Edgar was previously arrested for grand larceny in 2023, Smith added.

“There were about 100 officers on duty that night, spread out, as you can see in all the videos. The officers responded very quickly and did a great job. They responded immediately when they heard the shooting. You know, everyone else is running, it's not them, they're sitting in position looking for a shooter. They found the shooter. They knocked him down,” Smith said.

The names of the victims, who range in age from 19 to 39, were not released, but Orlando police released more details about them later in the morning.

Victim 1: Black man, 25, deceased

Victim 2: White male, 19, deceased

Victim 3: White male, 18, shot in the lower left leg

Victim 4: White woman, 39, shot in the left hand

Victim 5: Hispanic woman, 24, shot in the left leg

Victim 6: Black man, 20, headshot (stripes)

Victim 7: Hispanic man, 26, shot in the right foot

Victim 8: Hispanic woman, 19, shot in the upper back, pinched in the cheek

Victim 9: Hispanic woman, 26, trampling injuries. She wasn't shot.

No further details about the victims were released.

Smith said there may have been between 50,000 and 100,000 people downtown at the time of the shooting, judging by the huge Halloween crowd.

Sofia Alcala, who works downtown, said she heard the shots before everyone “went crazy.”

“Everyone started running,” she said. “I saw a group of people celebrating Halloween… and then shots were fired and everyone just scattered. I heard so many girls calling and crying.”

A UCF student who did not want to be identified said she was protected by one of the shooting victims.

“We were just coming out of Taco Bell and it basically happened in a second,” the student said. “I just heard gunshots, then one of my friends threw us to the ground, then I felt my leg getting warm and I thought, 'I've been shot.' Then I stood up and my friend was bleeding to death right in front of me. It was really scary.”

Based on current information, Orange-Osceola District Attorney Andrew Bain said it is likely Edgar could be charged as an adult pending further investigation.

Smith pointed to changes in state law to explain why a gun ban was not in effect in downtown Orlando at the time.

“I think you're talking about what we used to do, the closures, and we had the dogs and all that, it started downtown. That all went away when the law sort of changed, and basically you can carry a gun on a public street as long as you meet certain criteria. When that changed, we can’t do that anymore,” Smith said. “When state law changed, you saw that we changed the way we did things downtown. We could no longer do the dogs we had downtown. Law enforcement is constantly changing. We're working with the city and the clubs downtown to see if there's anything else we can go to to somehow ensure safety down there. As you can see with so many people down there, we have no idea what it is about people, you know, when they have a grudge against someone, you know, most people are down there to have a great time, and of course you I always get the few people who come down there and have other things on their minds.”

Under state law, with a few exceptions, it is illegal for anyone under 18 to own a firearm, except for an unloaded firearm in the home.

In a statement, Orlando police said they were considering the need for additional patrols on Saturday.

In light of this tragic incident, Orlando Police would like to remind the community that safety is our top priority. Due to the large crowds expected on Halloween, nearly 100 officers were patrolling the downtown area at the time of the shooting. Orlando police are also evaluating the need for increased patrols downtown this weekend.

Orlando Police Department press release (excerpt)

Watch the press conference again in the video player below or by clicking here.

This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.

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