Fort Myers PD: Club Shooting 'Not an Act of Terror'

Investigation ongoing in attack that wounded 17 and killed 2, including teen basketball star
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 25, 2016 11:57 AM CDT
Fort Myers PD: Club Shooting 'Not an Act of Terror'
People embrace after a fatal shooting at Club Blu in Fort Myers, Fla., on Monday.   (Kinfay Moroti/The News-Press via AP)

Authorities are now saying that a shooting early Monday at a Florida nightclub that killed two and wounded 17 wasn't an act of terror, but they're not yet saying what exactly prompted it, the AP reports. Officials at a Fort Myers hospital, just a few miles from where the shooting took place after a teen event at Club Blu, say two of the injured remain in critical condition, and two in fair condition. The shooting took place right as parents were coming to pick their kids up, a post on the club's Facebook page said Monday, noting "we are deeply sorry for all involved" and that it tried to make the gathering for kids ages 12 to 17 a "safe place to have a good time," with at least eight armed security guards present, a club co-owner tells the News-Press. "There was nothing we could do," she says. "A car rolled up and just started shooting." Three people have been detained for questioning so far, per NBC News.

The News-Press reports that one of the two teens killed was local basketball star Stef'An Strawder, a senior at Lehigh Senior High School who wanted to play for a Division I college team. The 18-year-old was shot in his right shoulder as he left the club and headed to the parking lot, his mom, Stephanie White, says. Strawder's sister, 19-year-old Sharrelle, was also shot and sustained a leg injury. "Why him? Why Stef?" his mom says. "No matter where he went, everyone invited him into their home like he was their own. People loved him." The other victim was Sean Archilles (a Fort Myers PD release spells it "Shawn"), a 14-year-old who also loved playing basketball, his dad tells the News-Press. Gov. Rick Scott said in a statement he'd be heading to Fort Myers on Monday, reports the New York Times, which notes the shooting took place just 43 days after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. (More mass shootings stories.)

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