JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A weekend “teen takeover” event in Jacksonville Beach erupted in violence as gunfire injured five teenagers, prompting a swift police response and forcing local businesses to lock down, disrupting a nearby music festival and leaving the community shaken.
The Jacksonville Beach Police Department said the shooting happened near the intersection of Third Street South and First Avenue South.
Video captured gunfire near a McDonald’s parking lot and shows crowds running as people sought cover.
Thomas Zavattiere, manager of Beachside Seafood, described the panic inside his restaurant.
“Around like 6:30-7, I saw people running inside of the building trying to hide, duck and take cover, and as they opened up the door, you can hear gunshots going off and that’s when I closed the restaurant down and started locking everybody in,” Zavattiere said.
Zavattiere said he closed the restaurant to keep customers and staff safe and worried about teens who need positive outlets.
“You know, it’s sad that the reason why is because kids just need a better positive outlook to do instead of getting in trouble,” he said.
Police said the violence also disrupted a larger music festival block away and cost businesses revenue as organizers and police moved crowds to safety.
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“Three blocks away, we have a large popular music festival going on. It’s attended by thousands. So we had to shut that down early, and then organize a way to give them out safely. Other businesses were closing their doors and turning the lights off, and calling 911 because of the chaos.“ JBPD Cmdr. T. Bingham said.
Nearby business owners praised police response while describing the tense scene.
“The city did a fantastic job. The police presence was obvious all day long. When the incident occurred, their response couldn’t have been better.” Greg Pratt, owner of Sneakers Sports Grille, said.
The investigation is ongoing.
Some business owners said they hope future weekends at the beach end with more customers, not chaos.