Two people were taken to the hospital with injuries sustained in a fight that ended with a gunshot at Eastern Florida State College (EFSC) Thursday.
Authorities told FloridaToday.com two men were beating up a third man in a campus parking lot when the person being beaten escaped and reached his car. He grabbed a gun and shot one of his two attackers, hitting him in the chest.
The gunshot victim and the person being attacked were both taken to a hospital for their injuries, while police are questioning the third person. Palm Bay spokeswoman Yvonne Martinez confirmed the man grabbed his gun from inside his car, but she did not know if any are students or what the fight was for.
Charles Andrews, a witness, told WESH Orlando what he saw.
"I saw one guy standing up, in the doorway, the door was open, and he was stomping and kicking the guy behind the driver's side. Then I heard, 'pow', a gunshot," said Andrews. "One guy started running, so I didn't know if he was the shooter or not, so I started waving students away, 'Get back. Get back. Get back.'"
Palm Bay Police Chief Doug Muldoon told WESH he believes the shooter is a student at EFSC and was walking to his car around 1:30 p.m. when the other two men jumped him and were beating him with a pool stick. He said the shooter sustained head injuries and the gunshot victim is in critical condition, but will likely live.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, campus security officers arrived in minutes and secured the scene. They are currently assisting in taking witness testimonies to attempt to learn more details in the incident.
The situation is now under control, but EFSC was briefly placed under lockdown. At 2:18, the school announced the lockdown on Twitter, then said the campus was deemed safe less than an hour later.
A shooting has been reported in Palm Bay campus parking lot. Campus is locked down and people are asked to stay inside with doors locked.
— Eastern Florida (@efscTitans) January 30, 2014
EFSC Palm Bay campus safe, lockdown lifted. classes cancelled after a 3-person parking lot fight ended with 1 shot & 1 student injured. — Eastern Florida (@efscTitans) January 30, 2014
Muldoon told WESH the shooting appears to be self-defense, but could not say if any charges are on the way or what they would be.
"At this point, we're assuming he was defending himself," said Muldoon. "On the outside, that looks like a possibility, but we don't know for sure at this point."
