A partly blacked-out Sanford Police report detailed how a memorial for a late Seminole High School football player near the city’s Coastline Park turned into horror when gunshots began to ring out Saturday night.
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Three victims remained in the hospital as of Monday evening, with two of them in critical condition, Sanford police said.
Investigators said late Monday they were continuing to search for suspects and did not have a motive for the shooting, which occurred just before 10 p.m. at a gathering to honor Zi”erri Wynn, who died Sept. 20, 2020 from injuries sustained in a vehicle accident.
But the newly released incident report offered one lead.
One witness, who did not give a name and first asked an officer to turn their body camera off, said they saw a vehicle circle the block several times before multiple people exited the car with “long guns” and started shooting. Other potential witnesses declined to speak with police.
The report also detailed the severe injuries some of the victims sustained.
One officer was alerted by bystanders to a victim still in their car slumped over the central console, unable to move or feel their body after having apparently been shot in the upper back. The officer had to pull the person out of the car by placing their arms under the victim’s arms.
Another victim, who had been shot in the neck, was lying on the ground with their blood filling up their mouth. An officer helped them into a position where they could breathe.
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Yet another officer helped a bystander tend to their friend who had been shot in the mouth and head, instructing them to put pressure on the wound.
Some people fell to the floor and hid behind cars until they could escape. The report appeared to list someone being struck by a vehicle and losing their keys while running away.
Two people at the scene whose cars were damaged during the shooting didn’t contact police until the next morning — one because of the chaos and adrenaline, and the other because he didn’t want his father to “be snapping on me about being around that type of environment.”
Investigators are asking anyone with any additional information about this incident to please contact the Sanford Police Department or Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS (8477) or visit www.crimeline.org. Calls made to Crimeline remain anonymous.
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