2 killed in Florida nightclub shooting; not an ''act of terror'', say police

Houston/Fort Myers, July 25  

At least two persons were killed and 17 others injured on Monday in a shooting rampage at a night club in Florida hosting a teen swimsuit party, over a month after a gunman massacred 49 people in the state in the worst mass shooting incident in US history.

The shooting occurred around 12.30 am in the parking lot of Club Blu Bar and Grill in Fort Myers, Florida.

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Three suspects have been detained, the police said, stating that it was “not an act of terror”.

The shooters’ identity or motivation was not clear. The attack apparently occurred at a teen party billed as a “Swimsuit Glow Party”, according to local media.

The area was deemed safe hours later, Fort Myers Police Captain Jim Mulligan said in a statement. Four people remained hospitalised with serious injuries, local station WINK-TV reported. One of the victims was identified as Cherly Garn, 12, a spokeswoman for Lee Memorial Health System, said.

In a statement, authorities said the Fort Myers police and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office were “actively canvassing the area looking for other persons who may be involved in this incident.”

According to witnesses the moments outside the club was like a “mad house”.

One woman who lives two blocks from Club Blu said she heard multiple gunshots.

People were crying and screaming, she wrote on her Facebook Page, adding that many were being carried on ambulances to area hospitals.

The club said the shooting erupted only after the event had ended, as teenagers were leaving the club and parents were arriving to pick them up.

“We are deeply sorry for all involved. We tried to give the teens what we thought was a safe place to have a good time,” the club said.

“It was not kids at the party that did this despicable act,” it said.

The shooting comes after a massacre at a nightclub in Orlando on June 12 in which a lone gunman killed 49 people in the deadliest mass shooting in US history. — PTI