Florida nightclub shooting kills two

Up to 17 people suffer gunshot wounds

FORT MYERS: Shots erupted outside a party for teenagers at a Florida nightclub early on Monday, killing two persons and wounding as many as 17 others, according to authorities.

The latest burst of gun violence to wrack the state this summer took place in the parking lot of Club Blu, where officers found "several victims suffering from gunshot wounds," the city police department said in a statement. Police identified the two dead as Stef'An Strawder, an 18-year-old basketball star at a local high school, and Sean Archilles, 14.

"Investigators are working very hard to determine a motive," police said. "The Fort Myers Police Department would like to confirm that this incident is not an act of terror or terrorism."

Besides the two fatalities, a local hospital said there were 17 other victims, ranging between ages 12 and 27.

Club Blu, located in the Gulf Coast city of Fort Myers, was hosting a ‘swimsuit glow party’ for people all ages, according to a flyer posted on Twitter by local television station WINK.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th, 2016.