1 dead after shooting at MLK Day event injures several in Florida

FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A woman who was among the eight people shot Monday during an after-parade party on Martin Luther King Jr. Day has died, authorities said Tuesday.

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The shooting happened at Fort Pierce’s Ellis Park following a parade to celebrate the holiday.

“Yesterday was Martin Luther King Day, a legacy built on non-violence, and sadly, we experienced violence in our community,” St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara said on Tuesday. “We are committed to putting the people responsible for this act in jail and (to) prosecute (them) to the fullest extent.”

Update 11:50 a.m. EST Jan. 17: St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara identified the woman who died after Monday’s shooting as a 30-year-old native of Fort Pierce who was at Ellis Park with her 6-year-old daughter.

“Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the young lady’s family, who lost her life in this senseless act, and our community in general,” he said in a recorded update shared Tuesday by deputies. “We sympathize with them.”

The shooting happened during an after-parade party at the park, according to authorities. Eight people were shot and four others were injured as they tried to run from the chaos, Mascara said.

Investigators believe that the shooting stemmed from a dispute between two rival Fort Pierce gangs.

“There were over 50 shell casings that were recovered from the scene from three different calibers of weapons to support some of that … information,” Chief Deputy Brian Hester said Tuesday.

Hester declined to identify any suspects in the shooting, although he said, “We do have information that’s flowing in.”

— Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Original report: Eight people were shot at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event in Fort Pierce on Monday.

The shooting happened Monday evening at Illouis Ellis Park near Avenue M and 13th Street, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office said, according to WPTV.

The shooting happened at around 5:20 p.m. at an event called the MLK Car Show & Family Fun Day, according to WPBF.

The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office Monday confirmed on Facebook that detectives were investigating a shooting at around 7 p.m. EST.

St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Tonya Woodworth told CNN that one of the victims was critically injured and four other people were injured while they were trying to leave the area.

According to WPBF, officials said one of those four people who were injured trying to leave the area included a child.

St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office said that security was provided by their office for the event, according to CNN.

The city of Fort Pierce on its website said the Martin Luther King Jr. Day event was a “family fun day,” according to CNN. The event had a DJ, a car show, activities for the kids, and more.

“Today, Chief Deputy Hester and I were honored to be in the Martin Luther King Jr. parade along Martin Luther King Blvd. Sadly, within hours of that parade ending, we are investigating a shooting in a county park located at Avenue M and 13th Street in which 8 people have been shot,” said Sheriff Ken Mascara said on Facebook.

The investigation is ongoing. No further information has been released including a possible suspect or suspects and the extent of the injuries.

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