Shots fired near Florida university campus as students are warned to shelter
Students at a Florida university have been warned to take shelter after shots were fired at the nearby Gulf Coast Town Center mall Wednesday morning.
Florida Gulf Coast University sent an alert to students after gunfire was reported around 11:15 a.m. at a shopping center construction site 15 miles (24 km) south of downtown Fort Myers.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office officials responded to the shooting and later confirmed that no buyer was injured.
They are looking for the occupants of two cars that fled the scene of the accident.
The Florida Gulf Coast University Police Department issued an update around 1:30 p.m. saying there was no active threat on the main campus and there was no danger to students.
The university said on social media that it had erroneously sent out a warning about an active shooter on campus.
LCSO is at an active accident site near a construction site at Gulf Coast Town Center. No buyers were harmed. It appears to be an isolated altercation between two vehicles that have since fled. No companies were affected, you may notice an increased presence of proxies.
— Carmine Marceno – Florida’s Law and Order Sheriff (@SheriffLeeFL) August 16, 2023
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said in a social media post that the shooting appeared to be an isolated altercation between two vehicles that have since fled.
He said no businesses were affected, but an increased law enforcement presence is expected in the area.
Florida Gulf Coast University enrolled 16,000 students in 2022.
