MLK Day Mass Shooting: 12 People Injured At FL Car Show, Sheriff Says

FORT PIERCE, FL — Eight people were injured Monday afternoon during a shooting at a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration in Fort Pierce, according to a St. Lucie County’s Sheriff’s Office news release.

Gunfire erupted at Ilous Ellis Park around 5:20 p.m. during a disagreement between two groups of people, the agency said. One of the eight people shot remains in critical condition.

"The first two shots were, ‘Bang. Bang,'" Charlie Frank Matthew, who witnessed the incident, told WPBF. "I witnessed two people get shot."

Four other people were also injured as they ran from the scene, the sheriff’s office said.

One of those injured as they fled from the shooting was a child, according to TC Palm.

St. Lucie County Chief Deputy Brian Hester described the scene to WPBF.

"It was mass chaos as you can imagine when shots rang out with, there were a thousand plus people here at the event, and as the shots rang out, people were just running in all directions,” he said.

In a statement, Sheriff Ken Mascara said that he and Hester were honored to participate in the city’s MLK Day parade along Martin Luther King Blvd. earlier in the day.

“Sadly, within hours of that parade ending, we are investigating a shooting in a county park located at Avenue M and 13th Street in which (eight) people have been shot,” the sheriff said.

The event held Monday at Ilous Ellis Park was the 772 MLK Car Show & Family Fun Day, which featured cars, live music, a bounce zone for children, and more, from noon to 6 p.m. It served as a way for the community to honor Dr. King, according to the city of Fort Pierce’s website.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 772-462-7300 or Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 800-273-8477.