| 2024 Orlando Halloween shooting | |||||
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| Location: | Downtown Orlando, Orlando, Florida, United States | ||||
| Date: | November 1, 2024 | ||||
| Time-Begin: | 1:07a.m. | ||||
| Time-End: | 1:11a.m. | ||||
| Timezone: | EST | ||||
| Target: | Large crowds | ||||
| Type: | Mass shooting | ||||
| Weapon: | Springfield Armory 9 mm handgun | ||||
| Fatalities: | 2 | ||||
| Injuries: | 8 | ||||
| Accused: | Jaylen Dwayne Edgar | ||||
| Charges: | Two counts of second-degree murder and six counts of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm | ||||
| Motive: | Stress | ||||
On November 1, 2024, two people were killed and eight others, including seven by gunfire, were injured in a mass shooting in downtown Orlando, Florida during overnight Halloween festivities.
Halloween is an annual holiday celebrated by dozens of countries on October 31.[1] Halloween is also typically one of the busiest times in Orlando, with crowds of between 50,000 and 100,000 people.[2] On the night of the shooting, an estimated 75,000 people were downtown when the gunman opened fire.[3]
At 1:07 a.m., Edgar walked south down Orange Avenue past the intersection of Central Boulevard before turning around, pulling a handgun from his waistline and firing a single shot, killing Tyreek Hill. After shooting Hill, Edgar ran east on Central Boulevard before turning north onto Court Street and cutting between multiple commercial businesses as he turned west.
Edgar then arrived at the intersection of Orange Avenue and Washington Street among another large group of people. At 1:11 a.m, Edgar opened fire again, mortally wounding Timothy Schmidt Jr. before continuing to shoot at the crowd, striking seven other people. Edgar then ran a short distance south along Orange Avenue towards two marked police vehicles where he was held at gunpoint by a Orlando Police Department officer before tackling him a few moments later. Edgar and the officer struggled before he was subdued and arrested.[4] [5]
In total, there were 10 victims of the shooting, including nine by gunshot and one other person after being trampled as people fled the attack.[6] The two deceased people were identified as 25-year-old Tyreek Hill, who was pronounced dead at the scene, and 19-year-old Timothy Schmidt Jr., who succumbed to his injuries in hospital. The surviving victims were treated at Orlando Regional Medical Center.
Surveillance video of the shooting was released by Orlando Police Department Chief of Police Eric Smith and the weapon used in the shooting, a Springfield Armory 9 mm handgun, was recovered by police along with nine shell casings and five bullets.[7]
The suspect in the shooting was identified as 17-year-old male teenager Jaylen Dwayne Edgar. Edgar told police after the shooting that he was under stress and witnessed a lot of his "loved ones die". About 30 minutes before the shooting at around 12:40 a.m, he interacted with law enforcement and climbed into the back of an ambulance and laid down on a stretcher before getting into an altercation with a police officer who pulled him out of the ambulance and off the stretcher. The same officer later tackled Edgar to the ground after he opened fire.
Edgar was charged with adult murder charges of two counts of second-degree murder and six counts of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm but did not attend his court appearance, although his mother did instead.[8] [9]
Edgar's trial is set to begin on March 10, 2025.[10]
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer announced a local state of emergency in Orlando's downtown entertainment area, enacted a 1 a.m. curfew in the wake of the shooting, banned alcohol sales after midnight and prompted major security changes for late-night crowds in downtown Orlando. Dyer condemned the shooting, stating “Honestly, I am frustrated to have to stand in front of you all and again, share the news that we have senselessly lost another life due to gun violence”. On November 7, the restrictions were allowed to expire.[11]