Halloween shootings in downtown Orlando: Police are searching for a motive after shots left two dead in a crowded nightlife district. Here’s what we know

CNN
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Orlando police are still searching for a motive Saturday for two shootings that left two people dead and eight others injured as thousands celebrated Halloween early Friday morning.

Police said they have charged a 17-year-old male with two counts of first-degree murder with a firearm and six counts of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm.

The men killed were Tyrek Hill, 25, and Timothy Schmidt Jr., 19, Orlando police confirmed to CNN via email on Saturday. The injured victims were 18 to 39 years old, police said.

Two were taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center in critical condition and were listed as stable later Friday morning, hospital spokeswoman Marlei Martinez told CNN. In addition, a 26-year-old woman was taken to hospital after being trampled by passers-by while trying to escape.

Orlando police identified a 10th victim who was in stable condition after checking himself into a hospital Friday morning.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, this was the 27th mass shooting in Florida this year, with more than 400 nationwide. CNN defines a mass shooting as an incident in which at least four people are shot, excluding the shooter.

The suspect opened fire at the first location before running away with the crowd, Police Chief Eric Smith said, citing footage of the first shooting. At a second location, police caught the suspect shortly after he opened fire, the video showed.

About 100 officers were deployed to the area, allowing for a quick response but apparently not deterring the shooter, Smith said.

“Whatever his attitude was, he was definitely going to shoot,” Smith said. “He walked past several officers. He didn’t really care.”

Authorities are confident the shooter acted alone, Smith said Friday afternoon, adding that the suspect is not cooperating or speaking to authorities. The suspect was arrested for grand theft back in 2023, Smith said.

Police are investigating whether the victims were accidental or known to the suspect. The video shows the moment police say the suspect walks past a victim, then turns and shoots.

“Did he know him? Did he accidentally come across someone who is one of his enemies for some reason? It’s all part of the case,” Smith said.

The suspect was questioned Friday morning as police searched for a motive, Smith said. “This person here has thrown his life away. For what?” said Smith.

Authorities are considering charging the suspect as an adult, prosecutor Andrew Bain said. “Given the numerous victims and the brazenness of the crime, there are obviously several aggravating factors that fit into the matrix to charge him as an adult,” Bain said.

The attack was another example of how gunfire disrupted normal American life, from parade routes to campus homecomings to a night on the town.

The shootings occurred blocks from the site of the deadly mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016, in which a 29-year-old gunman killed 49 people. At least 53 others were injured and police shot the gunman at the scene.

Here’s what we know about Friday’s murders and the investigation so far:

A large crowd gathered for Halloween celebrations and dispersed when shots were fired just after 1 a.m. Friday, surveillance video from the scene shows.

Sofia Alcala, who works downtown, told CNN affiliate WKMG that 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.”

Within minutes, shots were fired at a second location about a block away. “Shortly after shots were reportedly fired, a suspect was located and taken into custody at Washington and Orange,” Smith said. A pistol was recovered at the scene, police said.

Between 50,000 and 100,000 people celebrated Halloween in the area, which is “one of our busiest nights of the year,” Smith said.

But this year the measures from previous years will be adopted Screening people for weapons during downtown Halloween celebrations — including checkpoints and gun-sniffing dogs — is not possible because a 2023 state law allows most people to carry a concealed weapon without a permit, Smith said.

“When the law changed, you can basically drive on public roads as long as you meet certain criteria,” he said.

The change “made it even easier for people to carry guns and bring guns downtown,” said Mayor Buddy Dyer.

Dyer declared a state of emergency for businesses in downtown Orlando’s entertainment district. The police announced that a curfew from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. will apply until next Friday.

“We want a downtown that is fun and vibrant, but what we have seen recently is that brazen criminals are willing to come downtown and shoot and kill innocent victims right in front of our police officers,” Dyer said .

Police said they are assessing what resources need to be added to secure the downtown area over the weekend, which is typically a popular gathering spot on the Saturday after Halloween, they said.

Some city officials considered closing off a large portion of downtown to allow only one-point access on weekends and special events, Orlando District 5 Commissioner Shan Rose told WKMG.

“We have been working with the businesses and some downtown residents to explore options for access to a complete, coordinated access point,” Rose said.

A student at the University of Central Florida was among the two men killed, the Orlando-based college confirmed to the student in an email Friday, shared with CNN.

“Our hearts are heavy with sadness as we mourn this tragic, senseless violence, which also resulted in the injury of at least one other student and may have affected many students celebrating Halloween who were in proximity to this incident,” the university said — the largest in Florida — the statement said.

Anthony Berry, 20, was struck by a bullet in the upper scalp – an injury that could have been more serious if it had been an inch deeper, Orlando Health trauma surgeon Joseph Ibrahim said at a news conference Friday.

“After it happened, the first thing I did was thank God I’m still here,” said Berry, who plans to go into nursing. Berry was walking with a friend when the shooting began.