SANFORD, Fla. — An eyewitness to a mass shooting in Sanford told police the shooters used “long guns.”
The witness also said the shooters were driving around a crowd multiple times at Coastline Park, according to an incident report the police department released Monday night.
Although police said the eyewitness declined to give a written statement or allow law enforcement to record the information, it is the first time their department publicly revealed the events leading to six people getting shot Saturday.
Sanford Police said three people are still in the hospital, two are in critical condition and another one is in stable condition.
Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith said they need the public’s help to make arrests.
“People know what took place,” he said to reporters. “People know who these shooters are. People need to be more involved.”
The shooting happened in Coastline Park, which city records show is in the Goldsboro community.
City records have continually identified the area as a public safety risk, most recently in the 2024-2025 budget cycle.
Sanford described the neighborhood’s public safety issues more in 2018.
“The Goldsboro community has higher than average crime rates when compared to the City of Sanford as a whole,” said the report from the city. “Across the spectrum of criminal offenses – from rare crimes to common crimes and from the most violent crimes to the least common crimes – the Goldsboro community stands out as challenged by public safety issues.”
The report said 8 of the 17 documented murders within the city from 2013 to 2016 occurred in the Goldsboro community.
Mayor Art Woodruff said Saturday’s shooting is a tragedy like all shootings in Sanford.
He also said the town has created numerous initiatives to help make the area safer, including mentorship programs, youth programs, revitalization efforts, as well as services brought into the community and opportunities to increase housing security.
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