ORLANDO, Fla. — This weekend will mark one year since two people were killed and seven others were hurt in downtown Orlando, as crowds gathered on Halloween night.
What You Need To Know
Nearly one year ago, a Halloween shooting in downtown Orlando left 2 dead and 7 injured
New safety measures were implemented, including reopening streets to traffic on weekends
The decision regarding pedestrian-only streets this Halloween is still pending
After last year’s shooting, the city rolled out new safety measures, which included reopening Orange Avenue and surrounding streets to traffic on weekend nights, to cut down on the street party-like atmosphere.
As of Wednesday, it’s unclear how the Orlando Police Department will handle Halloween night this year. Officials have not stated whether downtown streets will be blocked off for pedestrians.
“We will make that decision within the next 48 hours,” Orlando City Commissioner Shan Rose said. “Obviously, before Friday gets here, we will make that decision and determination.”
The tragedy last Halloween saw crowds scamper after shots rang out near Wall Street and Orange Avenue. Police say Jaylen Edgar started shooting, killing 19-year-old Timothy Schmidt, Jr. and 25-year-old Tyrek Hill.
On Wednesday, attorney Doug McCarron filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Orlando on behalf of both families. The lawsuit claims the city and Orlando Police Department did not do enough to protect people during the downtown celebration.
Timothy Schmidt lost his son in the mass shooting.
“When you have a street festival like that with multiple dozens of venues if not more that serve alcohol, and you have people of all ages walking around down there, there has to be some kind of security checkpoint,” he said.
The Orlando Police Department sent Spectrum News a statement addressing security, but still not commenting on Orange Avenue.
“The safety and security of everyone remains the Orlando Police Department’s top priority. While we don’t discuss specific security measures, we always plan and staff large-scale events appropriately to provide proper public safety and assess the needs of the event to make any necessary security modifications.
The Orlando Police Department wants to remind our community to always call 9-1-1 or flag down an officer working the event if they see anything suspicious. Whether security measures are visible or not, officers are always working on the streets and behind the scenes to ensure the safety of our city.”
Rose adds Police Chief Eric Smith will make the final call about Orange Avenue.
“Ultimately, the police chief will make the decision based where he sees crowds at,” she said.