FORT MYERS, Fla., Oct. 18 (UPI) — One person is dead and four were wounded when a gunman opened fire at Zombicon, a zombie-themed street party in the busy Fort Myers, Fla. downtown area.
Crowds at the charity event fled screaming as shots rang out Saturday night. The shooter has not been captured, police said. Police are pleading with witnesses to come forward.
“At an event that draws upwards of 20,000 people we understand valuable investigative information may have been captured on smart phones by those who attended,” police said, asking witnesses to come forward.
As the shooter opened fire about 11:45 p.m., crowds of panicked people ran screaming from the festival in downtown Fort Myers, located some 125 miles south of Tampa. One man died at the scene. The four other victims were taken to Lee Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
“It cleared out fast and cop cars and ambulances came,” said Savannah Holden, who watched the panic unfold from a hotel balcony.
Bloody man taken away by ambulance at #zombicon. People saying he was shot. pic.twitter.com/yUO2vfIMk3— Rebecca Reis (@rebAReis) October 18, 2015
In its 9th year, Zombicon is a fundraiser for Pushing Daizies, a local artists’ charity. Organizers said they are “deeply saddened” by the shooting.
“We take the safety of our patrons very seriously and take precautions in hiring security and police officers for our annual event. Our prayers go out to the family members and individuals involved in the incident,” the group said.
So glad we left zombicon when we did, hope everyone else is okay. The world is a scary place.— Soph (@sophiaamariee21) October 18, 2015
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