A teen event at a Florida nightclub ended in tragedy after at least two people were killed and more than a dozen others were injured after a shooting outside the club, NBC News reports.
According to the report, the shots started just as family members were picking up the children from Club Blu in Fort Myers. Some of the victims were as young as 12, authorities said, according to NBC.
"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 wrote in a statement via Facebook. "As the club was closing and parents were picking their children up…..that's when all this took place. There was nothing more we could of done az [sic] you see it was not kids at the party that did this despicable act. Our condolences to all parties involved."
The club also said that there was "armed security" as well as "full security" inside and out, but that given the situation, "there was nothing more" that could have been done.
According to NBC, officers responded to the shooting around 12:30 a.m. Monday and found several people suffering from gunshot wounds. Sixteen people were taken to the hospital, but one died after being admitted and two others were in the intensive-care unit as of early Monday, the network notes.
One other individual was also confirmed dead, the police said.
According to News-Press.com, family members confirmed 18-year-old Stef'An Strawder as one of the victims who died in the shooting. Strawder was a senior and basketball star at Lehigh Senior High School who had dreams of playing Division I college basketball. Strawder's 19-year-old sister, Sharrelle, was also shot, suffering a wound to the leg during the incident.
Police detained three people for questioning early Monday, WBBH notes. Officers said that three people fled the scene in a car.
A Lee County, Fla., deputy shot one suspect multiple times during a traffic stop, WBBH reports. That suspect was in custody.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott released the following statement in the aftermath of the shooting:
"Following the horrific news of a shooting at a nightclub in Ft. Myers, I spoke with Ft. Myers Mayor Randy Henderson, Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott and Ft. Myers Interim Police Chief Dennis Eads to offer any assistance from the state. I have cancelled my scheduled events today to meet with law enforcement and local officials in Ft. Myers. While we are still learning the details about what happened this morning, we know that some of the victims of this terrible incident were children. We will continue to pray for the victims and their families."
According to WBBH, health officials were scheduled to hold a press briefing at 10:30 a.m. Monday to talk about the shooting and the need for blood donations.