According to a news launch from the Lakeland Police Department, a drive-by taking pictures occurred simply north of Bartow Road in midtown Lakeland late Monday afternoon.
Initially, 9 individuals had been reported shot, two of them in essential situation, however that was up to date to 10 in a press convention hours later.
Here’s what we know to date.
Mass taking pictures in Lakeland:Ten individuals shot in midtown Lakeland, a number of blocks north of downtown, police say
Was there a taking pictures in Lakeland?
According to Lakeland police, there was a taking pictures about 3:45 p.m.
What occurred within the taking pictures in Lakeland?
In a press convention Monday night time, Lakeland Police Chief Sam Taylor stated that round 3:45 p.m. a darkish blue Nissan 4-door with tinted home windows and a short lived tag slowed however did not cease close to Iowa Avenue and Plum Street.
It appeared that 4 individuals fired out of all 4 home windows at individuals on either side of the road, Taylor stated. The automobile then took off at a excessive charge of pace.
Mass shootings:MLK Day shooting in Fort Pierce is 30th mass shooting in U.S. so far this year
More:Do mass shootings cause more mass shootings? Research is divided.
From 2021:Mass shootings surge in Florida as nation faces record high
How many people were injured in the Lakeland shooting?
Taylor said when police arrived they found three victims on the scene, and witnesses told them eight more victims had been rushed to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center via private cars. He said all the victims were adult males between the ages of 20 and 35. Two were in critical condition, he said. One was shot in the abdomen, the other in the area of the jaw.
According to a witness who asked to be identified only as Dex, he heard 13 shots.
“Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop,” he said. “I guess they ran out of rounds.”
Where did the shooting in Lakeland take place?
Near Iowa Avenue and Plum Street, according to police, in an area bordered by Bartow Road and Memorial Boulevard to the north and south and Florida and Massachusetts avenues use to the west and east. The shooting took place about a quarter mile to the north of the Lakeland police headquarters.
Was the shooting in Lakeland gang-related?
“Too early to say it’s gang-related,” Taylor said.
“This is something that doesn’t happen in Lakeland,” he added, stressing he’d never seen anything like this in his years on the force. “It actually saddens me. We consider ourselves to be a small town.”
Is the Lakeland public in danger?
“We have reason to believe this was a targeted event, that it was not a random act,” Taylor said.
“We don’t believe there’s any reason the public should be concerned right now.”