ORLANDO – Eight people were shot — two fatally — early Friday in downtown Orlando, prompting questions about police security in an area that has been plagued with violence in recent years, News4JAX’s sister station WKMG reported.
Jaylen Edgar, 17, was arrested in connection with the shooting, the motive of which is not yet known.
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Orlando police Chief Eric Smith was asked during an early-morning news conference about recent security changes in downtown Orlando, which previously included a weapons ban.
Smith referenced Florida’s new constitutional carry law that went into effect July 1, 2023.
“I guess you’re talking about what we used to do, the closures, and we had the dogs and all that, it was going on downtown. That all went away when, sort of, the law changed, when the law changed, and basically you can carry a weapon on a public street as long as you meet certain criteria. So when that changed, we can no longer do that,” Smith said. “When the state law changed, you saw that we changed how we did downtown. We could no longer do the dogs (that) we had downtown. Law enforcement always changes. We are working with the city, working with the clubs downtown to figure out if there’s something else we can go to, to sort of keep it secure down there. As you can see with that many people down there, we have no idea what people have, you know, on their person, if they have grudges against somebody, you know, most people are down there to have a great time and of course you always get those few people who come down there who have different things on their mind.”
Florida’s new constitutional carry law does not apply to everyone, including:
- Those under the age of 21, unless you are a member of the Armed Forces
- Convicted felons
- Those convicted of certain violent crimes, such as misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence
- People subject to a domestic violence or repeat violence injunction
- Those who have been committed by a court to a mental institution or substance abuse facility
- Florida residents found guilty of drug crimes or being an illegal drug user (including those who have a medical marijuana card)
Smith said there were about 100 officers working in the area due to large Halloween crowds, estimated anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 people.
Although security changes were made due to the new law, it didn’t apply to the suspect because he’s 17 years old.
In addition, state statutes make it unlawful for a person under 18 years of age to possess a firearm — other than an unloaded firearm at their home — with few exceptions.
News 6’s Trooper Steve said writing laws doesn’t always solve the problem.
“We can have as many laws as we want, but when you have someone openly defy them — in this case, right in the face of law enforcement officers — there’s nothing we can do. The problem sometimes lies elsewhere in society.”