Jalen Dwayne Edgar has been arrested for the shooting in downtown Orlando
Thousands of people were out celebrating Halloween in downtown Orlando when a mass shooting occurred, leaving two people dead and at least six injured. Jalen Dwayne Edgar carried out the incident with the 17 year old shooter now arrested.
Hundreds of partygoers, many dressed up for a cash-prize costume contest, were present when gunfire broke out outside The Block, a well-known nightlife neighbourhood consisting of seven different clubs.
Who is shooter Jalen Dwayne Edgar suspect arrested in the downtowd Orlando Halloween 2024 shooting, bio, age, criminal record and photo
There were 100 Orlando Police Department officers present in downtown Orlando during the mass shooting that happened around 1:07 a.m. Friday, according to Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith.
According to police Chief Eric Smith, a 17-year-old suspect named Jalen Dwayne Edgar has since been taken into custody after authorities tackled him following reports of shooting at two different sites. During a press conference, Smith stated that at approximately 1:07 a.m., police were contacted regarding shooting in the vicinity of Central Boulevard and Orange Avenue.
“Within minutes, a second shooting was witnessed by officers south of Washington Street on Orange Avenue,” the Orlando police said
A footage shows age 17 black teen Jalen Dwayne Edgar abruptly turning back into the throng and firing a revolver while sporting a rucksack and a yellow T-shirt and jeans. Members of the crowd, some dressed in street clothes and others in costumes, soon scattered. Before being challenged by a police officer who takes the pistol away from him and tackles him back down, Edgar seems to fall to the ground and then get back up.
Dressed in a yellow T-shirt and jeans and wearing a backpack, Edgar is seen in the video suddenly turning back into the crowd and firing a handgun. Crowd members, some in costumes and some in street clothes, quickly dispersed.
At the site, two victims passed away. According to officials, the remaining six patients were transported to Orlando Regional Medical Centre in stable condition. They are between the ages of 19 and 39. Their identities are still under wraps.
While the investigation into the shooting’s motive is ongoing, Smith highlighted that its unfortunate some people see somebody they don’t like, somebody that they have some sort of beef with, and they take whatever action they’re gonna take.
Smith added that Edgar had already been arrested in 2023 for grand theft. Whether he will face adult charges for the shooting is still up in the air.
Police released body cam footage showing Edgar walking through a crowd in downtown Orlando in the area of Orange Avenue and Central Boulevard around 1 a.m. Friday morning.
As of 10 a.m. Friday, 2 people died, 7 are injured and the suspect, 17-year-old, Jaylen Dwayne Edgar is in custody but the motive for the shooting isn’t known yet. A handgun was recovered from him with him said to be acting alone as of now.
He fired once, ran away, and then started shooting again within feet of police officers and the first shooting happened around 1:07 a.m. near Orange Avenue and Central Blvd while the second shooting happened minutes later near Orange Avenue and Washington.
Deadly shooting in the US on Halloween
A 17-year-old teenager, Jaylen Dwayne Edgar, … pic.twitter.com/JbvYr0MaEy
— XAVI- MANSAN 6 (@JavierVera57211) November 1, 2024
Other related incidents
Two years have passed since the city’s last mass shooting, Smith said during the press conference.
Dylan Colby Lyons, a 24-year-old reporter for Spectrum News 13, was shot and killed on February 22, 2023, while covering a homicide in a Pine Hills area.
The suspect in the previous shooting, Keith Melvin Moses, 19, returned to the site and shot Jesse Walden, a photographer for Spectrum News, and Lyons. He then proceeded to a nearby residence and shot Brandi Major and her daughter, T’Yonna Major, age 9.
That’s funny. He looks a bit different from the front.
Jaylen Dwayne Edgar. pic.twitter.com/s13fqIJfJ1
— Ratt2Gazillion Rebuilding (@Ratt2Gazillion) November 1, 2024