Police in Fort Myers, Florida identified the dead as 14-year-old Sean Archilles and 18-year-old Ste’fan Strawder, who was described by local media as a star high school basketball player.
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The motive was not immediately known, but police said in a statement “this incident was not an act of terror”.
All told, officials said 20 people were injured in the violence early Monday in Fort Myers, a city of about 74,000 people in southwest Florida. Hospital officials say at least two of the injured are in critical condition.
The wounded ranged in age from 12 to 27, said Lisa Sgarlata, chief administrative officer of Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers.
“We are deeply sorry for all involved”, Club Blu said in a Facebook post.
The shooting took place shortly after 12:30 a.m. EDT on Monday as a party open to teenagers was wrapping up. “There was nothing more we could [have] done as you see it was not kids at the party that did this despicable act”.
They were taken into custody following a pursuit after someone alerted deputies to two suspicious vehicles, one white and another green, possibly connected to the club shooting.
Police said they also found a person shot on Parkway Street after arriving at the nightclub scene.
Stephanie White, right, holds a photograph of her son Stef’an Strawder during an interview in her home in Lehigh Acres, Fla., Monday, July 25, 2016. That shooter, Omar Mateen, who was shot dead by law enforcement claimed allegiance to the terrorist group the Islamic State.
Some of the victims are as young as 12, according to authorities.
CNN’s Chuck Johnston reported from Fort Myers, and Holly Yan wrote from Atlanta.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call police at 239-321-7700 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS.
The owner of a Florida nightclub where two teens were shot and killed says she hired 10 security guards to patrol a party for youths before the shooting happened.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their loved ones, and the entire Fort Myers community”, said Russell Roybal, Deputy Executive Director, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund.
“It’s terrible when these things happen”, Gov. Rick Scott said at an afternoon news conference. The woman said she saw someone who had been shot four or five times lying on the ground and watched another person getting shot in the back.
But when gunfire erupted in the parking lot of the Fort Myers club, Strawder didn’t have anywhere to hide. Three persons of interest were booked on unrelated charges.
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State records online show the alcohol license for Club Blu was revoked on June 7.
