TAMPA, FL – A dispute between two groups amidst Halloween revelry in Tampa, Florida, spiraled into a fatal shooting, claiming two lives and injuring 18 others. The incident unfolded in the early morning hours of Sunday on a street filled with hundreds of party-goers.
The violent incident occurred just before 3 a.m. in the vicinity of a popular strip of bars and clubs located on East 7th Avenue in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa, as per Police Chief Lee Bercaw. The altercation involved two groups, with hundreds of innocent bystanders becoming unwitting victims.
Videos captured by eyewitnesses and shared online paint a picture of pandemonium as gunshots echoed through the street. People, many in Halloween costumes, can be seen fleeing in panic, with some seeking refuge behind metal tables. Additional footage shows police officers attending to several injured individuals lying on the ground.
Emmitt Wilson, a grieving father, confirmed to the media that his 14-year-old son, Elijah Wilson, was one of the victims. He remembered his son as a “good child” who was tragically “at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Police have one male suspect in custody who surrendered himself, and they suspect the involvement of a second shooter. The condition of the 18 individuals hospitalized with injuries was not immediately disclosed. The circumstances leading to the initial altercation are still under investigation.