DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Two 19-year-olds are recovering after being involved in a shootout in Daytona Beach on Saturday.
In a video shared with Channel 9, witnesses are singing and enjoying their karaoke night with family when suddenly, shots are fired, coming from near the boardwalk.
“All of the sudden, everything got crazy, and people were running, and you hear the shots,” said Linda Wright, who’s visiting from Baltimore. “Why would you do that? On spring break, in such a gorgeous place? Why would you even bring a gun to the beach in the first place?”
Daytona Beach police said the shooting happened around 7-30 pm, and they said the people involved in the case were likely attending an unsanctioned beach day event in the area.
The incident unfolded right next to the Ocean Walk Resort. “I heard the sirens out the door, I’m on the fourth story, and I looked out and saw a bunch of cop cars in the area, and the ambulance came through,” said Kenneth Tomczak, who’s visiting from Michigan and staying at the resort.
Talk about bad timing – the shootout is happening just as Central Florida kicks off spring break when roughly 8 in every 10 Floridians are expected to take some time off, according to AAA. “When that happened, I told them straight up, ' Let’s go in the lobby, then the SWAT team showed up. They were screaming to get us into the rooms, said Lana Prytuliak, an Orlando resident on a “staycation” with her son and nephew. “We stayed in the room until this morning.”
Daytona Beach is known for being a top destination all year, especially around this time. Now, visitors and residents are concerned the shooting could impact tourism in the area. “If I was the mom, watching this video, seeing this unfolding on TV, it probably wouldn’t be my best choice to come here with the family,” said Hughes.
Daytona Police have been in the area throughout Sunday morning, talking to people and searching for more information regarding the shooting. Both 19-year-olds are expected to be ok. Police say the suspect and victims likely knew each other, but they’re still looking into the motive behind the shooting.
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