Police: 10 injured, 2 critically in Florida shooting

LAKELAND, Fla. (TND) — Ten people were injured in what police believe was a targeted drive-by shooting in Lakeland, Florida Monday.

According to Police Chief Sam Taylor, at approximately 3:43 p.m., officers were called to Iowa Ave. North and Plum Street where three victims were found with gunshot wounds. Several other victims arrived at an area hospital in personal vehicles, police say.

All of the victims were adult males between the ages of 20-35. Two of the victims — one who was shot in the abdomen and another in the face — have critical injuries and are undergoing surgery. The other eight victims were reported to have non-life-threatening injuries.

Police believe four shooters were in a dark blue Nissan with dark-tinted windows and a temporary tag. They drove up to the scene at a slow speed, rolled down their car windows and opened fire along both sides of the street before speeding away.

Taylor says it appears that this was not a random act and that the victims were likely targeted, adding that he does not believe there is a danger to the public.

"We don't believe there is any reason for the public to be concerned right now," he said."They shot who they wanted to shoot."

The chief said that a felony amount of marijuana was recovered at the scene and that it appears the shooting likely had something to do with drugs.

"I think it has some aspects of that," Taylor said. "We can draw some conclusions."

However, he says it's not clear if all of the victims were involved or if some were just caught in the crossfire.

Taylor said there has been discussion online that the incident was gang-related but that it's too early in the investigation to confirm. They are still searching for the suspect vehicle and the shooters at this time.

"This is something that doesn't happen in Lakeland," Taylor said. "I've been here 34 years and this is the first time I've ever worked an event where this many people have been shot at one time. Ever."

Reporters at the 7 p.m. police news conference questioned the chief on increasing crime in the city of about 115,000 that lies justeast of Tampa. Taylor called the mass shooting in broad daylight "horrific," and said they are working to curb crime. It's a growing issue for many mid-size cities across the country.

Two different caliber guns were used, with at least one from a rifle, according to investigators.

Just hours before the shooting, Florida state legislators were in session, considering a measure that would allow residents to carry firearms without a permit. Under HB 543, dubbed “constitutional carry" by supporters, the state would no longer require individuals to get a permit from Florida to own a gun and wouldn't mandate other provisions like training needed to obtain a permit.

If passed, Florida would become the 26th state to allow permitless carry. Gov. Ron DeSantis has been a supporter of the measure, saying he would sign the bill if it was sent to his desk.

When asked if the bill could make it harder for officers to investigate crimes like these, Taylor only said, "I could talk about it but I don't want to. I'll let the legislators legislate."

Police say video and photos related to the incident will be released as soon as possible.

WATCH THE FULL NEWS CONFERENCE HERE