PALATKA, Fla. – The Palatka Police Department provided an update on Wednesday regarding a Christmas Day shooting that left two people dead and one person hospitalized.
The agency said that Dorrion McKinnon, 17, who died following the shooting, had a rifle at the time the incident occurred. Additionally, Tyree Gilyard, 23, was found lying near a handgun that was recovered from the scene. Gilyard also died as a result of the shooting.
Recommended Videos
A third person, Dazial Dennis, 21, was hospitalized but has since been released and is expected to “make a full recovery,” police said.
“Multiple items of evidence including the two firearms listed in this release were recovered and are being processed,” Palatka police said. “At this time the investigation has led investigators to believe additional suspects were involved in the shooting and played a significant role in the incident.”
Police added that officers have already identified “several” persons of interest.
The incident began the night of Christmas when Palatka police said a party in St. Johns County spilled over into Palatka as an afterparty, and officers were called around 9:40 p.m. to clear a parking lot of people on North 19th Street.
Officers at the scene reportedly heard several gunshots coming from across the street in front of the Palatka Daily News on St. Johns Avenue.
Gilyard was declared dead at the scene, but Dennis and McKinnon were taken to the hospital where McKinnon later died.
A News4JAX source said the Palatka Daily News building was riddled with bullet holes, but thankfully no employees were inside the building during the shooting.
The investigation remains active, and anyone with information is asked to contact the Palatka Police Department at 386-329-0115 or contact Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida at 1-888-277-8477.
