One dead in shooting at US zombie-themed street fest: reports

The suspect is said to be at large

MIAMI: A shooting at a zombie-themed street festival in the US state of Florida has left one person dead and four others wounded, reports said Sunday.

The incident in downtown Fort Myers happened shortly before midnight Saturday, according to the local NBC affiliate.

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The suspect is at large and a man suffering from a gunshot wound died at the scene, NBC2 News reported.

Four others were taken to hospital with injuries described as non-life threatening, it said.

Fort Myers police confirmed on Twitter that they were investigating shots fired incident during the event known as ZombiCon but did not provide more details.

CNN reported that chaos erupted when shots rang out, sending festivalgoers running.

ZombiCon organizers posted on Facebook that they are "deeply saddened" by what happened and that they take the safety of their patrons very seriously.

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"Our prayers go out to the family members and individuals involved in the incident," they posted.

The annual music festival, a fundraiser featuring band performances on multiple stages, was expected to draw more than 20,000 people, according to the event's website.