TAMPA, Florida — Police were searching Monday for a man who opened fire at a Florida weekend event celebrating zombie pop culture, killing one person, injuring six others and sending thousands of attendees scrambling for cover, according to a police spokesman.
“We’ve gotten numerous tips,” Fort Myers Police Chief Dennis Eads told a news conference Monday. “We have several leads that we are following right now. … I’m very confident we’ll find out who did this.”
The suspect was described by police as a “white or possibly Hispanic” male in his late teens or early 20s, dressed in a black T-shirt and a flat-billed black and red baseball cap, police said.
The suspect was seen firing a black semiautomatic handgun before fleeing the scene, police said.
Revelers were out late Saturday evening for the annual Zombicon community fundraising event when gunshots rang out as costumed festival-goers ran through the streets of downtown Fort Myers. Zombie props, fake blood and wound makeup caused confusion over who was actually injured.
The Fort Myers Police Department identified the victim as Expavious Tyrell Taylor, 20, of Okeechobee, Florida. Taylor was described by friends as an avid football player who was a student in the Miami area.
The six wounded people suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, according to Lt. Victor Medico with the Fort Myers police.