Hollywood Police have arrested a fifth suspect in connection with the Memorial Day mass shooting on the city's Broadwalk that injured nine people, including a 1-year-old boy.
Officials confirmed Monday that 18-year-old Lionel Jean Charles Jr. had been taken into custody.
Charles was the fifth and last suspect wanted in connection with the shooting. On Sunday, police took the fourth suspect, a minor, into custody, officials said.
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Another minor had been previously taken into custody by U.S. Marshals along with detectives from Hollywood Police's Violent Crimes Unit.
Charles and the two minor suspects — both male — have been identified by police as the alleged shooters and are facing charges that include attempted first-degree murder, eight counts of attempted second-degree murder and one count of carrying a concealed firearm.
Police had previously arrested two other men in connection with the shooting. Morgan Deslouches and Keshawn Paul Stewart, both 18, were charged with carrying a concealed firearm, and Deslouches was also charged with grand theft of a firearm and removing a serial number from a firearm, officials said.
“No one rested since Memorial Day so we can have this moment today," Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy said in a news conference Monday evening.
The shooting happened shortly before 7 p.m. on May 29 near Johnson Street as the Broadwalk was crowded with Memorial Day beachgoers.
Arrest warrants obtained by NBC6 detail in images what the suspects were doing before, during and after the shooting, including an image of each of them with a gun. Another image shows a suspect taking off his bright yellow sweater to allegedly allude police.
Hollywood Police said of the nine victims, four were minors and five were adults. The children range in ages from 1 to 17, and the adults are ages 25 to 65. Eight people were released from the hospital while one remains in stable condition.
“We are very fortunate to have nine victims survive a very unfortunate incident," a Memorial Healthcare spokesperson said.
On Saturday, the mother of a 16-month-old boy named Amari who was shot said it will be a long recovery, but she is grateful he is alive.
HOLLYWOOD BEACH MASS SHOOTING
“He could’ve been a lot worse, he got some pain, he got some time to recovery. It's tough to see instead of him enjoying his childhood and his first summer walking he’s going to be recovering,” said the mother.
Surveillance video showed part of the scuffle that led to the shooting. Video from the city of Hollywood's live feed of Hollywood Beach appeared to show the moments immediately after the shooting, with people seen running or seeking cover when the gunshots were fired.
What appears to be two guns can also be seen on the ground in the video.
Witness Kayla Buzon said she was sitting on a hotel balcony when she heard the gunfire.
"In an instant you heard at least six gunshots go off," she said. "You could see multiple people laying down on the ground. Three people from what I could see and one woman that was sitting off to the side where her leg had gotten grazed by a bullet. Really the scariest part was seeing parents dragging their children almost across the floor to get behind the small wall barrier that was literally the only protection that anyone had trying to stay clear of all the chaos that was going on."
Audio of the panicked 911 calls for help was also released the day after the shooting.
"The Margaritaville. Please. On the beach. They're shooting out here," one caller says.
"Did you see who was doing the shooting?" the operator asks.
"No! We didn't see nothing. We don't know where he came from a different area and then hit a guy on the beach. A guy near us," the caller says.
Another caller reported hearing five rapid gunshots and another told the operator they see someone on the ground, shot.
Officials said there were additional officers at the beach for the holiday weekend and that some officers heard the gunshots and responded.
Cellphone video from a witness showed paramedics tending to multiple people with injuries on the beach.
"It's unfortunate when we have law abiding citizens come to our beach to enjoy the day that gets disrupted by a group of criminals who engage in this type of violent activity," Hollywood Police Chief Chris O'Brien said late Monday. "We will leave no stone stone unturned. We have numerous agencies out here assisting us today to include state and federal agencies. These that were involved in the incident today will be held accountable for their actions."
Anyone with information is asked to call the Hollywood Police Department at 954-764-4357(HELP) or 954-967-4567, or submit tips to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI
