Safety expert weighs in on spring break beach shootings across Florida
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. - With multiple people healing from or facing criminal charges following recent spring break shootings at the beach, safety experts say it’s a good time for a reminder about vigilance.
Victor Chen owns Confidence Shooting in Lake Mary. He says you don’t need to be fearful as you go to the beach but should pay attention to your surroundings.
"If you notice something going on that's not quite right, like an argument or a fight, start moving away. Start getting away from that situation. Because once the firearm comes out, it's fight or flight," said Chen.
The problem with gunfire at the beach is that there’s so much open space. Chen says to hide behind a lifeguard stand or a sea wall if you're close enough. If there’s somewhere for you to hide behind, even if it won’t protect you, it could still be a good option.
Chen says some people will say you should go out to the water to use as cover in a shooting. He doesn’t recommend that – he says the waves are unpredictable and won’t actually stop a bullet.
If there aren’t many people and there’s no cover nearby, he says you should lay flat on the ground. Things can get tricky if there are many people and no cover.
"Depending on how many people on the beach, you may be trampled. So, one thing we talk about is getting in the fetal position covered. Get low. Cover your head."
Many officers patrol popular spring break spots, but they can’t be everywhere all at once. Jacksonville Beach Police Chief Gene Paul Smith says every police officer and sheriff's deputy at a beach in Florida faces the same problem of the influx of people.
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"When you defend everything, you’re defending nothing. You’re just riding around, burning your officers off, and wasting money," said Chief Smith.
After the weekend shootings in Jacksonville Beach, Chief Smith brought up that they simply can’t bring their departments out to maximum effort every single time there’s a crowd – they’d wind up flooding the streets with cops almost every day.
Chief Wes Mullins in Cocoa Beach said the same thing.
"You’ll never hear a police chief say they ever want less officers, but… our staffing is adequate to support the tourists we do have now," said Chief Mullins.
Cocoa Beach hasn’t seen much of a problem. City Manager Wayne Carragino says the beach attracts more families than rowdy rascals.
Over in Volusia County, where the Sheriff’s Office says a teen whipped a gun out at the beach last week, deputies arrested or ticketed 84 people this weekend alone.
At Flagler Beach, Chief Matthew Doughney says they made one arrest and wrote 16 citations over the weekend.