3 Shootings Kill 1 Person As Police Dispersed Crowd Of 400 Gathered In Jacksonville Beach

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, FL — One person was killed and three others injured in three unrelated shootings in downtown Jacksonville Beach on St. Patrick's Day, authorities said.

While investigators aren't sure if the Sunday evening shootings are related, they all happened after a group of 250 to 400 juveniles in their “late teens” that gathered under the pier for “boxing matches, fights and other incidents” was dispersed, Jacksonville Beach police Chief Gene Paul Smith said during a Monday morning news conference. (Watch the full news conference below.)

The first shooting happened around 7:50 p.m. near the Best Western hotel in the 400 block of the boardwalk. After two people shot at each other in the area, one of the shooters and an “innocent bystander” visiting from out of town were seriously injured and brought to a nearby hospital, the chief said.

The second shooter, “a certified gang member,” later brought himself to the Mayo Clinic, Smith added.

Around 8:15 p.m., a man fired a shot from a pistol as he ran by bars, leading officers on a chase into the downtown area.

Then, around 8:30 p.m., a shooting in the parking lot behind Sneakers Bar and Grille left a man dead, the chief said. His next of kin have been notified.

After the Sunday evening shootings, downtown Jacksonville Beach was locked down and bars and streets were evacuated, Smith said. All scenes have since been cleared.

As of Monday morning, police are looking for a suspect in the shooting near the Best Western, “a tall, thin Black” man, according to the chief.

Investigators have recovered the pistol in the second shooting, but are looking for that suspect, a Black man who wore a ski mask, as well, he said.

Detectives are also looking for three suspects in the shooting behind Sneakers, including the person who fired the gun, a 6-foot-tall Black man with a short beard, who fired the gun that killed the victim, Smith said.

No arrests have been made. Investigators are reviewing video surveillance footage from the area and posts on social media.

Watch Smith's news conference below: