Police rule out terrorism in Florida club shooting

Fort Myers police Capt. Jim Mulligan said on Monday that it was not immediately clear what triggered the violence, but that the shooting was not an act of terror. Police have detained three people and said the area around Club Blu has been deemed safe, Mulligan said.

At least two people were killed and fourteen wounded following a shooting overnight at Club Blu in southwestern Florida, police said on Monday. The teens killed were 14-year-old Sean Archilles and 18-year-old Ste'Fan Strawder, police said.

According to local broadcaster WINK, as many as 17 people were shot. Captain Jim Mulligan of the Fort Myers Police Department told the news station three people had been taken into custody.

Four people are reportedly in the hospital, two in critical condition and two in fair condition, said Lisa Sgarlata, the chief administrative officer at Lee Memorial Health System.

Police said the shooting occurred in the parking lot of the club around 12:30 am local time. The club was hosting a "teen night" at the time, and the ages of those being treated in the hospital ranged from 12 to 27.

On its website, Club Blu said it was "deeply sorry for all involved."

Several witnesses tweeted from the scene.

"It was a mad house people were running every where. All people were saying was their friends' names to see if they're okay - a lot of phone calls to parents," one witness wrote on his Facebook page, according to WINK's website.

The victims have not yet been identified.

The state of Florida was the location of another mass shooting in June, when 29-year-old Omar Mateen opened fire in the gay nightclub Pulse, killing 49 people.

The shooting led to further calls for stronger gun control measures, though they were stymied by the Republican-controlled Senate.

blc/rc (dpa, Reuters)