Celebration Publix shooting: 17-year-old suspect at large after 'beef' with teen in parking lot, sheriff says
CELEBRATION, Fla. - PUBLIX SHOOTING UPDATE: Two teens are now in custody. Click here for the latest updates.
A 17-year-old suspect is still at large after shooting a teen multiple times outside a Publix in Celebration on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.
Around 2:40 p.m., deputies said they received multiple calls after the driver of a red car got into an altercation with another teen in a blue car outside the Publix in the Water Tower Shoppes in Osceola County. The Publix is located at 29 Blake Boulevard in Celebration.
The teen in the red car was shot a couple of times in the back, Osceola Sheriff Marcos Lopez said in a news conference Wednesday evening. You can watch the press conference in the player below:
In a statement to FOX 35 News, Publix said: "Our store is currently closed, and this situation is an ongoing investigation."
Deputies said this was an isolated incident with no threat to the public. A couple of cars in the parking lot were hit with bullets, but no other injuries were reported, Lopez said.
The two males involved reportedly had a "prior beef," Lopez said.
The victim was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He was uncooperative with deputies and did not ID the shooter, Lopez said.
Deputies continue to search for the suspect.
A man who happened to be at the gas station nearby told FOX 35 News that he heard gunshots from the Publix side of the shopping center, but didn't see what actually happened. This happened between 2:30 and 2:45 p.m.
"It was more confusion than chaos," Richie Barnes said. "My thing was to get in my car and get out of there."
This is a developing story.