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At least nine people including a one-year-old baby were wounded after gunfire erupted at a Hollywood, Florida, beach.
Four of those caught in the gunfire on Monday evening were minors aged from one to 17, with the age range of the adult victims from 25 to 65.
The victims were all in stable condition as of Monday night, the Memorial Healthcare System said.
The sounds of gunfire sent dozens of panicked beach-goers racing for cover along the Hollywood Oceanfront Broadwalk at 6:41pm, city webcams showed.
Police responded to reports of a shooting along the boardwalk full of bars and restaurants about 20 miles north of Miami. Victims were rushed to nearby hospitals.
Police detained one person of interest and they are looking for a second individual.
One beach-goer said she saw a woman with a gunshot wound on her leg (Picture: EPA)
The shooting took place at a beach in the city of Hollywood on what was expected to be a busier-than-usual Memorial Day (Picture: AP)
City officials said a ‘dispute’ between two groups resulted in gunfire on the boardwalk between Johnson Street and Garfield Street.
It took place just outside a convenience store, a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop and a Subway sandwich store.
Deanna Bettinsechi, a spokeswoman for the Hollywood Police Department, said at a news conference later that evening: ‘There was a dispute between two different groups, and that’s when there was the gunfire.’
Vance Hendricks, a tourist from Philadelphia, told CBS Miami: ‘I saw a young man that was on the ground bleeding and they were applying pressure to prevent the bleeding.
‘Also, saw a lady that was very upset. I think she had a wound to her leg.’
Another beach-goer, David Van Dyck, said: ‘Heard several gunshots, seen a crowd of people running through here and then we heard three more shots down the street.’
One person of interest has been cuffed (Picture: AP)
Police and city officials said a scuffle between two groups led to gunfire (Picture: Anadolu)
The oldest victim was 65 and the youngest just one (Picture: AP)
City mayor Josh Levy said in a statement: ‘Thank you to the good samaritans, paramedics, police and emergency room doctors and nurses for their immediate response to aid the victims of today’s shooting.’
Across several tweets, police initially did not specify that a shooting had occurred but warned people to steer clear of the area.
‘Please avoid the area of Johnson to Garfield Streets, as well as the Boardwalk, due to an ongoing shooting investigation. Heavy police presence in the area,’ the department tweeted.
‘If you are looking to reunite with a family member, we have set up a reunification area at Johnson St and N Ocean bus loop.’
The episode erupted as countless people flocked to the boardwalk to celebrate Memorial Day, with it expected to be busier than normal.
It was the latest chapter of almost daily mass gun violence in the US, with 303 mass shootings this year alone, according to the Mass Shooting Tracker.
‘People come to enjoy a holiday weekend on the beach with their families,’ Levy added at a second news conference.
‘To have people in complete, reckless disregard of the safety of the public, and to have an altercation with guns in a public setting with thousands of people around them, is beyond reckless.’
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More than 300 mass shootings have taken place in the US this year.
