FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) – A 17-year-old boy was fatally shot on Fort Lauderdale Beach just before the start of 2026.<\/p>\n
Fort Lauderdale Police units responded to call of a possible shooting late Wednesday night at 17 South Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard, Wednesday night.<\/p>\n
Upon their arrival, officers located the victim suffering from a gunshot wound.<\/p>\n
Officers secured the scene, and tactical medical aid was immediately given to the teen, who was later identified as Joshua Gipson Jr.<\/p>\n
Cellphone video captured the moment panic spread, as witnesses ran for cover.<\/p>\n
Jeff Saylor told 7News he heard gunshots ring out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard another shot, a couple shots, I believe about five total,\u201d said Saylor.<\/p>\n
Others recognized the popping sounds weren\u2019t fireworks going off in the sky.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I said, \u2018That\u2019s not fireworks,’\u201d said Bob McDonald, another witness. \u201cIt scared the heck out of me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tourists at a nearby hotel even received a text message from the building\u2019s management warning them to stay indoors.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was alarming, right, because you don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on, you know. In this day and age, you don\u2019t know what it is or what it could be,\u201d said Chris Pate.<\/p>\n
Paramedics with Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue promptly transported Gipson, who had just turned 17, as a trauma alert to Broward Health Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries.<\/p>\n
Gipson was a football player for several South Florida teams and planned to attend Virginia Tech, according to his father, Joshua Gipson.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe made good choices in life, you know what I\u2019m saying? He wasn\u2019t making anything bad,\u201d said the elder Gipson.<\/p>\n
The victim\u2019s father. believes his son was caught in the crossfire when shots first rang out, .<\/p>\n
\u201cI just hate it happened,\u201d said a longtime friend of the teen who did not wish to be identified.<\/p>\n
Gipson\u2019s friend said the two had known each other since they were little kids who played football together.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was funny, he was fun to be around, he was always a happy soul. He was a good person,\u201d his friend said.<\/p>\n
Detectives have not shared many details but said they believe this to be an isolated incident.<\/p>\n
Gipson\u2019s loved ones are still trying to make sense of it all.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went blank. I don\u2019t how to \u2013 it\u2019s just crazy,\u201d said his friend. \u201cI mean, I expected a lot on New Year\u2019s night, but when it\u2019s one of your people, or one of your old friends or somebody you grew up with, you don\u2019t know what to think.\u201d<\/p>\n
One witness who did not wish to be identified told 7News the shooting appeared to happen after two people got into an argument, but authorities have not made any conclusions.<\/p>\n
\u201cA guy, he just passed away right there, he just got shot,\u201d said the witness. \u201cI\u2019m 18 years old, and I saw him, he was 17 years old, and it just broke my heart seeing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The victim\u2019s mother described him as the kind of kid that younger children looked up to and that he was fearless.<\/p>\n
The incident remains under investigation.<\/p>\n
If you have additional information regarding this shooting, please contact Detective J. Sanchez of the homicide unit at 954-828-4900 or call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.<\/p>\n
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