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18-year-old dies following shooting at Orange Park basketball court

Police say the shooting stemmed from a fight

ORANGE PARK, Fla. – An 18-year-old involved in a shooting Wednesday at the Orange Park Athletic Association died after being hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, the Orange Park Police Department said Thursday.

The shooting happened Wednesday afternoon after what police called a “fight between a group of males who were playing basketball at the OPAA basketball courts.”

Drew Wright III was shot and taken to the hospital, and police said Thursday he passed away around 2:15 a.m.

His body will be transferred to the medical examiner’s office for an autopsy.

Police said the shooter left the scene before they arrived. OPPD said it will not release suspect information until detectives are at a point where it does hinder the investigation.

Detectives are continuing to investigate the incident and following up on “strong” leads.

NeighborhoodScout, an analytics database for real estate data, listed the Belair East area of Orange Park as one the town’s most dangerous neighborhoods in terms of the number of recorded property and violent crimes.

They ask anyone with information to contact police at 904-264-5555 or submit an anonymous tip to First Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS (8477).