Two people have been killed and six injured after a gunman opened fire in Orlando while thousands of people were out celebrating Halloween.
A 17-year-old suspect, Jaylen Dwayne Edgar, has been arrested after gunshots were heard in two different locations and he was tackled by police, according to police Chief Eric Smith.
Edgar was previously arrested for grand theft in 2023.
'He pretty much walked into downtown, walked into the street and did what he did,' Chief Smith said, adding that the teen suspect did not walk into any clubs.
Horrifying video shows hundreds of people running for their lives after gunshots were heard in the downtown area of the city.
The dead have not been named but are a 25-year-old black male and a white male aged 19, Orlando Police have said.
A 17-year-old suspect, Jaylen Dwayne Edgar, has been arrested after he shot dead two people in Orlando, according to police
Video released by FOX35 shows crowds of people running away after hearing the gunshots
Panicked partygoers are seen in the streets of downtown Orlando last night
Cops are seen tackling the suspected attacker while people take shelter nearby
The other victims are a white male aged 18 who was shot in the lower leg, a white female aged 39 shot in the left land, a 24-year-old Hispanic female shot in the left leg, a black male aged 20 with a bullet graze to the head, a Hispanic male, 26, shot in the right foot, a 19-year-old Hispanic female shot in the upper back and a 26-year-old Hispanic female who was trampled but not shot.
The individuals injured are in stable condition, police added.
Young people - many wearing Halloween costumes - had been out partying Thursday night in the area before the horror unfolded.
An emergency call came in just after 1am, with reports that several people had been shot around Central Boulevard and Orange Avenue, according to the Orlando Police Department.
A second call came in from out of Washington Street and Orange Avenue, Smith said.
Police had already been present at the scene and ran towards the gunfire, Smith said, allowing the suspect to be arrested quickly.
'Shortly after reported shots fired, a shooting suspect was located and taken into custody at Washington and Orange,' Smith said in his briefing this morning.
No firearms were used in the arrest, according to reports, with the only shots being fired by the gunman during the incident.
Dozens of police cars and scores of cops were seen attending the scene in the early hours of this morning.
Crowds are seen running after the shooting in Orlando just after 1am last night
Dozens of police cars and scores of cops were seen attending the scene in downtown Orlando in the early hours of this morning
'The Orlando Police Department is conducting a shooting investigation in Downtown Orlando,' the force said in a statement.
'We are still gathering information and interviewing witnesses. We will have more information later this morning.'
Officials said they are considering charging the suspect as an adult.
They are looking into a motive for the shooting.
Anywhere between 50,000 to 100,000 people are believed to have been downtown at the time of the shooting, judging by views of the huge Halloween crowds, Smith said.
A separate shooting in Washington State last night saw one person killed at a shopping complex which was hosting a trick-or-treat Halloween event.
