New Delhi: Ten people were injured including two in critical condition in a drive-by shooting in central Florida on Monday afternoon, the Lakeland Police Department said, according to an Associated Press report.
Lakeland Police Chief Sam Taylor said during a press conference that two of the victims were critically injured, but the wounds of the eight others weren’t considered life-threatening.
Describing the incident, Taylor said that a crowd of people were gathered along a residential street when a dark-blue sedan rolled by, slowing but not stopping. Four people fired shots from the sedan’s windows before the car sped away, he added.
“The vehicle slowed, did not stop, and the four windows went down. It appeared to be occupied by four shooters in the vehicle,” Taylor said, adding, “They started firing from all four windows of the vehicle and shooting males on both sides.”
“I’ve been here 34 years, and I can tell you I have never worked an event where these many people were shot at one time, ever”, Taylor said, as per AP.
According to ABC News, the police responded to calls of a shooting at a location near Iowa Avenue North and Plum Street at 3:43 pm. The investigators believe that the shooting was a targeted attack. All the victims were adult men between 20 and 35 years old.
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“We will be out most of the night trying to figure out who these individuals are in the vehicle,” ABC quoted Taylor as saying.
The police said that they found a certain quantity of marijuana at the scene and that there was a sale of marijuana or drugs going on at the time of the shooting. The police added that whether this was related or significant to the crime is unknown.
As per AP, Taylor described the neighborhood as “challenged” and said the police had focused a lot of attention on the area in recent years.
(With inputs from agencies)