6 shot near Florida stadium in possible gang incident, official says

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Six people have been wounded, some seriously, in what is being investigated as a possible gang-related shooting blocks from the NFL stadium in Florida where the Jacksonville Jaguars were hosting the Houston Texans on Sunday afternoon.

Ron Lendvay, director of investigations for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, said the shooting erupted near a laundromat at 12:35 p.m. Sunday and that five men and one woman ranging in age from their 20s to the 70s were rushed to the hospital.

He reported no link to the game, which started at 1 p.m. and went on without incident. Speaking at an afternoon news briefing near the laundromat on a boulevard blocks away, Lendvay said, any fans parked near the shooting site were being escorted to their cars to retrieve them afterward and leave what he called an “active crime scene.”

The Texans won their fourth consecutive game Sunday, defeating the Jaguars 20-7 to take a one-game lead in the AFC South at the stadium, TIAA Bank Field. Local media reports cited authorities as saying the shooting had had no impact on game day operations.

Lendvay told reporters that a shooter fired from the passenger side of a gray sedan driven by someone else, but details were still sketchy Sunday afternoon and that investigators haven’t determined a motive. He said the car left the area and authorities were checking surveillance video to try to locate it and find those involved.

“There were at least two people in the car,” Lendvay said. He added that investigators don’t know if others were in the car and he didn’t rule out the possibility of additional shooters. Said Lendvay: “We just don’t know.”

He also said he had no immediate update on the conditions of the wounded or their identities later Sunday.

“A couple of them were in very serious condition on their arrival at the hospital,” Lendvay said. He added that five of the wounded were rushed by paramedics for emergency care and that the sixth person was taken by private vehicle to a hospital.

He also said that authorities have been unable to immediately determine whether there was any relationship between the victims.

“We haven’t been able to interview them (the victims) at all. It’s hard to say if they are all associated or not,” he added.