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Several detained after 17-year-old boy is shot
A shooting at Clearwater Beach leaves a teenager injured. FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon brings us the story.
CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla - A 17-year-old boy was shot after a massive social media meetup turned chaotic on Clearwater Beach, drawing hundreds of teenagers and sparking a fight.
Clearwater Beach shooting response
What we know:
Police officers rushed to a shooting in the 100 block of Coronado Drive at around 5:15 p.m.. Officers found a 17-year-old victim who was shot and took him to Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities said the gunfire broke out shortly after a fight during a planned gathering organized through social media.
Street signs highlight the intersection of Coronado Drive and Devon Drive, where authorities responded to reports of gunfire on Clearwater Beach.
Clearwater Police Department Deputy Chief Michael Walek said extra resources were in place, but hundreds packed the beach, leading to a number of disturbances. Several people were detained at the scene, though others ran away. Resident Janette Walker and her daughter saw the injured teen.
"I told my daughter, oh my god, that boy was shot," Walker said. "They have towels on his stomach, and they could see blood coming through, and it looked like he got shot in the stomach."
Beach resident Dylan Gilbert described the moments the gunfire erupted.
"I heard probably what I figured 6 or 7 gunshots," Gilbert said. "I was like what’s going on."
Planned teen gathering investigation
What we don't know:
Officials have not yet confirmed the identities of the people detained at the scene or revealed if specific charges have been filed. Investigators have not publicly identified the individual or group responsible for sponsoring and organizing the meetup online. It is also unclear how many total shots were fired or if police have recovered the weapon used to wound the teenage victim.
First responders and police personnel treat individuals and gather information from a large group of teenagers gathered near the scene of the shooting.
Social media takeover impact
Why you should care:
Local residents say these massive internet-driven meetups are harming businesses and endangering the community.
"It’s been a crisis for years, they need to really crack down and figure out whose doing the Facebook, whose sponsoring it and stop it," Walker said. "These take overs are ruining it for the people who work down here are trying to make a living. Everybody we heard from today are pissed off," said Walker.
Law enforcement future crackdown
What's next:
Clearwater Police officials are warning that future unpermitted takeovers will face immediate termination. They were aware of the social media gathering and had extra resources in place, along with help from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office and Largo Police Department.
"You can phrase it however you want, teen takeover, meet up. It’s all organized through social media," Deputy Chief Walek said. "This is the first weekend of school being out and this is going to be the last weekend that this type happens."
Clearwater Police Department Deputy Chief Michael Walek addresses the media during a press briefing to detail the agency's response and future crackdown plans.
Deputy Chief Walek emphasized that the department is shifting its enforcement approach to prevent similar disturbances from escalating.
"Clearwater Beach is family friendly, it’s safe. This is a bunch of kids acting like kids, and I’m telling you it won’t happen again," Deputy Chief Walek said.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from Clearwater Police Department Deputy Chief Michael Walek, who detailed the law enforcement response and active investigation, as well as on-scene interviews with Clearwater residents Janette Walker and Dylan Gilbert, and visitor Laura Taylor.