This year, participants in one of the nation’s largest zombie-themed events were literally filled with horror, when the police released more details on the Florida man shot dead at ZombiCon fest in downtown Fort Myers.
According to the police, the man was gunned down for real by an unidentified suspect, and five more were injured. The incident occurred around 11:45 p.m. Saturday. When shots were fired, thousands of zombie-dressed participants had to literally flee for their own lives.
The police and emergency crews arrived quickly at the scene. While some officers cleared the area, several other searched for a suspect. Emergency medical workers had to take care of the injured, but they weren’t able to save a 20-year-old man.
A spokesperson for the local police revealed the name of the Florida man shot dead at ZombiCon fest: Expavious Tyrell. The young man was a junior student at a local college.
Four people were rushed to the hospital with minor injuries, while a fifth refused to be medically examined, the police also reported.
Nevertheless, authorities do not yet know how many suspects were involved in the shooting or why the shooting occurred.
Fort Myers Police urges participants and witnesses to provide investigators with further details if any.
“There were a lot of witnesses down here, there were a lot of people taking pictures, videos with their cellphone,”
Lt. Victor Medico of the FMPD recently said in a press conference.
Medico declined to provide journalists with further details on the investigation. He only said that the police department was flooded with media requests. However, investigators aren’t allowed to provide details on an ongoing investigation. The incident is being investigated ‘tirelessly,’ Medico added.
Yet, finding armed suspects in a crowd dressed as zombie hunters may be a challenging task. Many ZombiCon participants carry prop firearms and pretend to hunt zombies. Plus, this year’s event was expected to welcome more than 20,000 people. So, before clearing the crime scene, police officers had to make their way into a ‘shoulder to shoulder’ location.
Jill Stancel, a local barbershop owner, said she rushed to her family saloon and allowed several other people get in. But as shots were fired, a mass of desperate people pushed against locked doors trying to enter the barber shop.
Some participants were able to take cover in nearby bars, but when the police arrived at the scene the bars were also cleared. Investigators currently analyze surveillance videos in their effort to find the suspect/s.
Image Source: Wikimedia
