Florida police search for 3 gunmen who wounded 9 at crowded beach on Memorial Day

Police launched a search Tuesday for three suspects they believe to be the gunmen who opened fire along a crowded Florida beachside promenade on Memorial Day, wounding a 1-year-old and eight others while sending people frantically running for cover.
Hollywood police sought the public's help in identifying the gunmen, who ran from the scene during the chaos of hundreds of people fleeing for their lives and diving for cover as shots hit bystanders.
Two people involved in the altercation that led to the shooting have been arrested on firearms charges, police said. Five handguns have been recovered, with one of them reported stolen in the Miami area and another in Texas, they said.
Police and witnesses said the shooting began as a group of people fought in front of a busy stretch of shops on the Hollywood Oceanfront Broadwalk about 7 p.m. Monday.
The sound of gunshots sent witness Alvie Carlton Scott III ducking for cover behind a tree before he fled on foot at the command of a police officer. Another witness, Jamie Ward, said several young men were fighting when one of them pulled a gun and started firing.
The shooting upended busy holiday weekend festivities at the popular beach destination where there was already a heavy police presence to oversee the big crowds.
Police spokesperson Deanna Bettineschi said four children between the ages of 1 and 17 were hit, along with five adults between 25 and 65. Six of those shot remain hospitalized in stable condition, while three have been released, police said.
The names of those arrested and those wounded have not been released.
Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy said that he was "deeply saddened and angered" by the shooting. Dozens of officers are assigned to the beach on busy holiday weekends and that meant there was an immediate response and multiple people were detained, Levy said in a statement.
"People come to enjoy a holiday weekend on the beach with their families and to have people in complete reckless disregard of the safety of the public and to have an altercation with guns in a public setting with thousands of people around them is beyond reckless," he said.
Videos posted Monday evening on Twitter showed emergency medical crews responding and providing aid to multiple injured people.
Hollywood Beach is a popular beach destination about 17 kilometres south of Fort Lauderdale and 32 kilometres north of Miami. The beach was expected to see more visitors than usual because of the Memorial Day holiday.
IN DEPTH

ANALYSIS What do the policies Poilievre's party passed say about the Conservatives' future?
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre spent the summer speaking about housing affordability, a core focus that attendees at the party's Quebec City convention were quick to praise him for. But by the end of the weekend, delegates opted to instead pass policies on contentious social issues. What does that say about the Conservatives' future?
Justin Trudeau and wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau separating, after 18 years of marriage
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife are separating after 18 years of marriage, and while they plan to co-parent their children, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau will no longer be considered the prime minister's spouse in any official capacity.
'A very retro, family-oriented message': New ads aim to reframe Poilievre
With a steady lead in the polls and a healthy war chest of political donations, the Conservative Party is rolling out a trio of new advertisements that are being viewed as aiming to redefine and soften Pierre Poilievre's image and messaging.
Trudeau's new House leader wants question period to become an hour Canadians watching can be proud of
If you've tuned in to question period and wondered if that is really how the elected member of Parliament representing you in Ottawa should be acting, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's new House leader is trying to change that.
Seven rookies promoted, most ministers reassigned in major Trudeau cabinet shuffle
In a major cabinet shuffle on Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promoted seven rookies to his front bench, dropped seven ministers, and reassigned the majority of cabinet roles. In a ceremony at Rideau Hall, Trudeau orchestrated one of, if not the most consequential reconfigurations to his cabinet since 2015.
Opinion

OPINION Don Martin: Canada is back on the world stage. And mostly alone.
Justin Trudeau got one promise right: Canada is back on the world stage. Sadly, it’s for all the wrong reasons, writes Don Martin in an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca.
opinion Don Martin: Nice try, Prime Minister Trudeau. But it's too little, too late
Nice try, prime minister. But likely too little, too late and too transparently desperate to serve as a realistic government-salvage strategy, writes Don Martin in an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre doesn't feel your pain, but he's sure good at communicating it
Probably no other leader, including Justin Trudeau, has landed in a party leadership with less real-world work experience than Pierre Poilievre, says Don Martin in a column for CTVNews.ca. But Poilievre's an able communicator, and this weekend's Conservative convention is a golden opportunity for him to sell himself as PM-in-waiting.
opinion Don Martin: Who will step up to have 'The Talk' with Trudeau?
Ego and vanity are a potent combination in leadership politics, and in his exclusive column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin writes this condition is infecting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's mindset as he seems deadly serious about seeking re-election in 2025.
opinion Don Martin: I've never seen anything quite like the control-everything regime of Trudeau's government
Voters in four byelections delivered status quo results on Monday that show, if you squint hard enough, that the severely tainted Liberal brand has staying power while the Conservatives aren’t resurging enough to threaten as a majority-government-in-waiting, writes Don Martin in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Speaker's Nazi veteran invite 'profoundly embarrassing' Trudeau says, as Rota faces calls to resign
Tensions flared in the Commons on Monday over opposition calls for House Speaker Anthony Rota to resign after apologizing to Parliament for inviting, recognizing and leading the chamber in a standing ovation for a man who fought for a Nazi unit during the Second World War.
Poster advertising 'whites-only' children's playtime sparks outrage in B.C. community
Police have launched an investigation into a poster inviting "proud parents of European children" to participate in racially segregated playtime in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
Canadian air force investigating 'inappropriate and unapproved' call sign broadcast on U.K. flight
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) is investigating an ‘inappropriate and unapproved’ call sign that was transmitted electronically from one of its aircraft on Monday.
'Deeply hurtful': Polish ambassador condemns Nazi veteran’s invitation to Canada’s Parliament
Polish ambassador to Canada says House Speaker Anthony Rota's apology doesn’t go far enough after a Nazi veteran was honoured in the House of Commons last Friday.
7 candidates have qualified for the 2nd Republican presidential debate. Here's who missed the cut
The field for the second Republican presidential debate will be smaller than the first.
Vaccination during pregnancy safe, effective and recommended, CMAJ says
The most up-to-date guidelines from the Canadian Medical Association Journal recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for anyone who is pregnant in order to reduce the risk of serious illness to themselves and the children they carry.
Canadian Sikhs stage protests against Indian government over murder
Canadian Sikhs staged small protests outside India's diplomatic missions on Monday, a week after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there may be a link between New Delhi and the murder of a Sikh separatist advocate in British Columbia.
An airsoft pistol, a machete, and 2 knives: Jury learns of items seized in pickup truck used during attack on a London, Ont. family
The trial of Nathaniel Veltman, 22, continued in Windsor for his actions on June 6, 2021 that killed four people and seriously injured a fifth person. In court on Monday, two forensic identification officers with the London Police Service testified.
Canada approves Ebola virus vaccine for adults exposed to the deadly disease
Canada has approved a vaccine to prevent Ebola in non-pregnant and otherwise healthy adults aged 18 and older.