Two people were fatally shot and seven injured during Halloween celebrations in Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. – Two people are dead and seven Others were injured after a shooting in downtown Orlando early Friday as thousands celebrated Halloween, police said.

Police arrested a 17-year-old on suspicion of committing the shooting. No motive has been determined and the identities of those killed and injured have not been released. According to police, the victims were between 18 and 39 years old and the two people killed were 19 and 25 years old.

According to police, six of the injured were shot and a 26-year-old woman suffered injuries after being trampled as the crowd fled.

As of 4:45 p.m., four people remained hospitalized in stable condition and two people had been released, Orlando Regional Medical Center said.

Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith said shots were fired at Central Boulevard and Orange Avenue just after 1 a.m., and more shots were fired nearby a few minutes later.

Police said the suspect was arrested and taken into custody. He was later charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a firearm and six counts of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm.

NBC News typically does not name minors accused of crimes.

He had already been arrested in 2023 for grand theft, a crime that is still under investigation.

Smith told reporters Friday afternoon that the suspect had not been cooperating with police. The investigators now want to find out how he got the weapon.

Surveillance video released by Orlando police showed the suspect in a yellow shirt walking through the crowd. He appeared to raise his right hand and open fire. According to the footage, crowds scattered in all directions when shots were fired. Police video showed an officer knocking down the suspect and three other people running to help arrest him.

Smith said Halloween is one of the busiest nights of the year in the city, with 50,000 to 100,000 people. About 100 police officers patrolled the area and located the shooter shortly after the shooting, Smith said.

“The officers did a great job. They reacted immediately when they heard the shooting, you know. So everyone else runs away. They don't, they sit in position and look for a shooter. They found a shooter. They took him downstairs,” he said.

He said the suspect was determined to carry out the shooting and appeared undeterred by the police presence.

“Whatever his attitude was, he was definitely going to shoot. He walked past several officers… He walked past at least 10 officers, right past them,” Smith said.

Orange-Osceola District Attorney Andrew Bain told reporters it is likely the suspect will be charged as an adult as the investigation continues.

Following the shooting, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer declared a local state of emergency in downtown Orlando's entertainment district and imposed a 1 a.m. curfew. There will be no alcohol sales after midnight for the next seven days.

Dyer said the city has implemented security measures downtown, including coordinated entry and gun checks.

He said changes in the state's concealed weapons laws have “made it even easier for people to carry guns and bring guns downtown.” Last year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law allowing residents to carry a concealed loaded weapon without a permit.

“Frankly, I am frustrated that I have to stand before you again and again and tell you that we have senselessly lost another life to gun violence,” Dyer said.

Near the scene of Friday morning's shooting, downtown workers and pedestrians went about their daily lives with little sign of the violence that had occurred hours earlier. About three meters of yellow police tape hung between a parking meter and a nearby store.

Rocio Taylor, 70, who lives about three blocks from the scene of the shooting, said she doesn't go out after 7 p.m. on weekends because the bar and club scene is too loud. She also mentioned that the area often hosts festivals and attracts a young crowd. Taylor, who works at a wedding dress store, said she would like to see a larger police presence.

“It’s Halloween,” she said. “You drink too much alcohol. They go to nightclubs. They’re out of control.”

Patrick Smith reported from London, Antonio Planas from Orlando and Marlene Lenthang from Los Angeles.