A woman has died following a shooting during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event in Florida, sheriff’s officials said Tuesday.
The unidentified 29-year-old Fort Pierce native was at a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration in Fort Pierce, Florida, with her 6-year-old daughter on Monday when shots rang out between two rival gangs, St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Brian Hester said on Tuesday.
In total, eight people were shot and four were injured attempting to flee the scene, Sheriff Ken Mascara said.
“And now what was a shooting investigation has turned into a murder investigation,” Mascara said.
No arrest have been made as the sheriff’s office collaborates with local, state and federal agencies to investigate the shooting, Hester said.
Investigators found over 50 shell casings from three different calibers of weapons at the scene, Hester said.
Authorities asked anyone with any information to contact a local hotline and warned anyone against protecting anyone involved in the shooting.
“Let me be very clear. If you are thinking of, or hiding, supporting, protecting or aiding any suspect, anyone involved in the heinous incident, then I can assure you you we will arrest you, and we will charge you to the fullest extent of the law,” Hester said.
“Yesterday was MLK Day, a legacy built on nonviolence, and sadly we experienced violence in our community,” Mascara added. “Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the young ladies family who lost her life in this senseless act, and our community in general.”
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