Stef’an Strawder, 18, would have been a senior this year at Lehigh Senior High School where he was a star basketball player.
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Two teenagers were killed and more than a dozen were injured in the shooting. A residence and vehicles were shot at 2550 Parkway St., with one minor injury reported. Two were in critical condition and two were in fair condition, said Lisa Sgarlata, the chief administrative officer at Lee Memorial Health System.
Three men arrested after a deadly shooting rampage at a Fort Myers, Fla., nightclub led officers on a vehicle chase near the shooting scene, police said.
“Just like the fund we opened following Hurricane Charley, we are reaching out to our community to help Fort Myers heal by making donations to assist the needs of these victims, their families and those touched by this horrific tragedy on our youth, ” said Sarah Owen, president and CEO of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, in the statement.
In a statement, the city announced a partnership with the Southwest Florida Community Foundation and the United Way of Lee, Charlotte, Glades and Okeechobee Counties to open the TOGETHER Fort Myers fund. 17 people ranging in age from 12 to 27 were wounded during a swimsuit-themed party for teens that was underway at the club during the shooting.
Anyone wanting access to counseling services can call United Way’s 211 line. He was killed along with Sean Archilles, 14.
Given the proximity to the shooting, Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded.
They were later booked on charges connected to the chase, but it wasn’t immediately clear if they were suspected in the nightclub shooting.
A Fort Myers police officer tried to pull over a white Chevy sedan carrying O’Neal and Battle after they drove out of the complex southbound in the northbound lanes of Solomon Blvd., deputies said. The officer switched on emergency lights and sirens, but the vehicle sped away, according to the sheriff’s office.
Church was transported to the hospital for treatment, then taken into custody. Battle’s bond was set at $3,500 and O’Neal’s at $5,000.
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O’Neal and Battle were later located and are facing charges for resisting without violence. He was treated and released from the hospital and placed under arrest for aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and fleeing and eluding.
