In a mass shooting that broke out during Halloween celebrations in Tampa, Florida, two people were killed and sixteen injured, according to authorities. On Thursday, a second offender was taken into custody.
According to a press release from the police, a 14-year-old boy was taken into custody in Palm Beach County and was being escorted back to Tampa. He is charged with felonies for carrying a hidden handgun and being a minor in possession of a firearm while using a mask.
“There is no reasonable explanation for a 14-year-old to be in possession of a firearm,” Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said in a statement.
According to authorities, the shooting in Tampa’s Ybor City neighbourhood early on October 29 was the result of a dispute between two gangs. Tyrell Stephen Phillips, 22, was taken into custody by authorities later that day in relation to the shooting. He was accused of using a firearm to commit second-degree murder.
The early-morning brawl took place in what was once the epicentre of Tampa’s cigar industry and was home to numerous pubs and clubs. The neighbourhood has a reputation for having a vibrant nightlife, and according to Tampa police, hundreds of people were out on the streets when the gunshots occurred since several of the area’s nightclubs had just closed.
Online footage shows individuals drinking and conversing on the street while many are dressed for Halloween. Suddenly, roughly twelve bullets are heard, and then another eight a few seconds later. There was a stampede, some individuals falling over metal tables and hiding behind them. Police personnel are seen treating multiple wounded victims who are laying on the ground in footage from the aftermath.
The identities of the two fatalities have not been made public by the authorities, however family members have named them as Harrison Boonstoppel, a bystander, 20, and Elijah Wilson, 14, who was 14.
Investigators are currently looking for other people of interest that show up in a video that was uploaded to the Tampa Police Department’s YouTube channel.
