Shooting at Wet 'n Wild Orlando

[Swimace]

UPDATE: here's a more detailed article with some more information on what actually happened.

 

http://www.myfoxorlando.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=6295340&version=10&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1

 

ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) -- Orlando's Wet 'n Wild water park was evacuated late Sunday afternoon following a gun fight which broke out in the attraction's parking lot.

 

Orlando Police officers made an arrest inside the Wet 'n Wild gates. According to OPD spokesperson Sgt. Barbara Jones, prior to and during the course of that arrest, a crowd gathered and began fighting security officers and the arresting police officer.

 

As additional units arrived to assist, several hundred teenagers were moved to the parking lot to board buses. While in the parking lot, Jones says multiple fights broke out, and one person was injured by gunfire. A second individual sustained an injury to the face from what police now believe was from a thrown rock, and not from a bullet as originally suspected. Both were taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

 

Two buses in the parking were searched and a loaded .22 caliber handgun was recovered in the bathroom toilet of one of the buses. It is still unknown if the gun recovered was the gun involved in the shooting. The buses were part of a caravan of several which traveled to Orlando from West Palm Beach.

 

No arrests have been made related to the shooting; however one 17-year-old was taken into custody for misdemeanor assault and interference during the course of the investigation.

 

According to police reports, the shooting victims have been identified as Michael Roosevelt , 18, and Marlin Laguerre, 16, both of Pompano Beach.

 

A spokesperson with Wet 'n Wild, who asked not to be named, released this statement late Sunday evening regarding the shooting:

 

"Today's incident outside Wet 'n Wild happened in a parking area after a large group of special events guests exited our venue. During the day some members of that group had become unruly and arrests did take place. Our security team worked closely with the Orlando Police Department to remove the unruly individuals. The investigation of the incident is still ongoing by the Orlando Police Department and Wet 'n Wild will provide assistance as needed."

 

When asked if the parked was adequately staffed with security officers, the spokesperson responded, "We believe we had made adequate security available for today. Because of the group size, we had supplemented our own security staff and also had a larger then usual OPD presence on site."

 

This weekend, the water park is hosting hundreds of teenagers who are participating in Spring Bling 2008. Over 1,500 students were expected to attend.

 

It has yet to be confirmed whether or not those responsible for the shootings were attending the event which is organized by Xtreme Xperience Productions, Inc. of Fort Lauderdale.

 

Xtreme Xperience Productions, Inc. sells group travel packages to high school and college-aged students which they brand as "Xtreme Trips." On their website, it states that: "By balancing the safety concerns of parents with the students’ desire for fun-filled vacations, Xtreme Trips provides a high quality trip experience that students treasure for a lifetime."

 

FOX 35 attempted to contact Xtreme Xperience Productions, Inc. but calls were not returned.

 

Both International Dr. and Universal Blvd. were briefly closed but have since reopened.

 

FOX 35 has multiple crews on scene and we will bring you updates on MyFoxOrlando.com throughout the evening. You can also watch live reports during FOX 35 news at 10 p.m.

[bovinejumpsuit]

Charlton Heston has gone, when can you guys prize that gun from his cold dead hands?

 

Oh, and Blah Blah Blah this will have a negative effect on theme parks because you can't get shot elsewhere

[gnewton34]

Ummmmmm...gunshot wound to the mouth not life-threatening?

[christianscoasters]

^^It will have a negative effect. You know how the GP is. "He got shot at Wet N' Wild. I'm not going there." And we can't forget the SFA incident on their inverted boomerang. That woman was like, "I love roller coasters, but I'm not coming here anymore." If a place has an accident, or it makes some headline, the GP avoids it. Simple as that. Doesn't matter if it could've happened somewhere else.

[Scaparri]

Ummmmmm...gunshot wound to the mouth not life-threatening?

 

Last time I checked, there aren't any vital organs or arteries in the mouth.

[bovinejumpsuit]

Ummmmmm...gunshot wound to the mouth not life-threatening?

 

Last time I checked, there aren't any vital organs or arteries in the mouth.

Kinda depends what angle he was shot at though doesn't it...

 

not that this is the issue.

[Homer]

Does Wet & Wild have any metal detectors inside the park or was this outside the park?

 

Anywho, I don't know why there have been so many pointless fights among high schoolers in Florida lately. First there's that video of a bunch of girls beating up on one girl just so they could get their 15 minutes of Youtube fame that are all facing hard prison time, now this.

 

I've been living here my whole life and I'm still boggled.

[RRollergod]

Let's blame it on Youtube and the rest of the internets!

[Swimace]

^^I don't think it's Florida, I just think it's the nature of high school. I went to a lower income public school in Florida and this doesn't surprise me. When we went to Grad Bash we had to go through a lot of security and there were still fights, threats, and people trying to sneak alcohol/drugs/whatever. High school is just like that...

 

As for the incident, when I first saw it on tv I think they said the fight started in the park and then the shooting happened in the parking lot. The last time I went to Wet n' Wild was last summer to check out Brainwash, and I honestly can't remember if they had metal detectors. I would imagine that they do since most parks have them these days, which would make the parking lot a likely place for this to happen.

[DATman]

^Of course, most high school fights don't involve guns.

[SharkTums]

First off didn't the article say they were from South Florida, not Central? Sounds like one of those 'bus in' events that lots of parks do...and let's not start that whole argument now!

 

Secondly, there seem to be very few details at this time. So let's not speculate too much till we get a better story.

 

Lastly, aren't the Florida parks some of the few remaining without Metal Detectors? Seriously, which Florida parks have them? If the shooting was IN the park I could see that changing soon. If it's just another fight in a parking lot, I don't see how it even has to do with Wet n Wild!

[gnewton34]

Ummmmmm...gunshot wound to the mouth not life-threatening?

 

Last time I checked, there aren't any vital organs or arteries in the mouth.

 

Any gunshot wound is life-threatening And any wound to the mouth is dangerous because of infection alone. I've seen people die as a result of dental work.

[SharkTums]

^Not to mention the sheer amount of arteries, veins, and proximity to the brain!!!!

[Swimace]

Ok, I found a more detailed story of the incident. Apparently the shooting happened in the parking lot but the fighting also took place inside the park.

 

ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) -- Orlando's Wet 'n Wild water park was evacuated late Sunday afternoon following a gun fight which broke out in the attraction's parking lot.

 

Orlando Police officers made an arrest inside the Wet 'n Wild gates. According to OPD spokesperson Sgt. Barbara Jones, prior to and during the course of that arrest, a crowd gathered and began fighting security officers and the arresting police officer.

 

As additional units arrived to assist, several hundred teenagers were moved to the parking lot to board buses. While in the parking lot, Jones says multiple fights broke out, and one person was injured by gunfire. A second individual sustained an injury to the face from what police now believe was from a thrown rock, and not from a bullet as originally suspected. Both were taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

 

Two buses in the parking were searched and a loaded .22 caliber handgun was recovered in the bathroom toilet of one of the buses. It is still unknown if the gun recovered was the gun involved in the shooting. The buses were part of a caravan of several which traveled to Orlando from West Palm Beach.

 

No arrests have been made related to the shooting; however one 17-year-old was taken into custody for misdemeanor assault and interference during the course of the investigation.

 

According to police reports, the shooting victims have been identified as Michael Roosevelt , 18, and Marlin Laguerre, 16, both of Pompano Beach.

 

A spokesperson with Wet 'n Wild, who asked not to be named, released this statement late Sunday evening regarding the shooting:

 

"Today's incident outside Wet 'n Wild happened in a parking area after a large group of special events guests exited our venue. During the day some members of that group had become unruly and arrests did take place. Our security team worked closely with the Orlando Police Department to remove the unruly individuals. The investigation of the incident is still ongoing by the Orlando Police Department and Wet 'n Wild will provide assistance as needed."

 

When asked if the parked was adequately staffed with security officers, the spokesperson responded, "We believe we had made adequate security available for today. Because of the group size, we had supplemented our own security staff and also had a larger then usual OPD presence on site."

 

This weekend, the water park is hosting hundreds of teenagers who are participating in Spring Bling 2008. Over 1,500 students were expected to attend.

 

It has yet to be confirmed whether or not those responsible for the shootings were attending the event which is organized by Xtreme Xperience Productions, Inc. of Fort Lauderdale.

 

Xtreme Xperience Productions, Inc. sells group travel packages to high school and college-aged students which they brand as "Xtreme Trips." On their website, it states that: "By balancing the safety concerns of parents with the students’ desire for fun-filled vacations, Xtreme Trips provides a high quality trip experience that students treasure for a lifetime."

 

FOX 35 attempted to contact Xtreme Xperience Productions, Inc. but calls were not returned.

 

Both International Dr. and Universal Blvd. were briefly closed but have since reopened.

 

FOX 35 has multiple crews on scene and we will bring you updates on MyFoxOrlando.com throughout the evening. You can also watch live reports during FOX 35 news at 10 p.m.

 

http://www.myfoxorlando.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=6295340&version=10&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1

[SharkTums]

^Pretty much exactly what I thought.

 

I don't see Wet n Wild being at fault for this.

[gnewton34]

"By balancing the safety concerns of parents with the students’ desire for fun-filled vacations, Xtreme Trips provides a high quality trip experience that students treasure for a lifetime."

 

Hmmmmm....I'm sure they'll treasure their new scars. I guess they'll have street cred?

 

I figured it took place outside the park. Those little details are always left out.

[mxman005]

I drive by Wet N Wild ALL the time. I am about 99% sure that they don't have any metal detectors. The last time I visited this park I know for a fact that I didn't have to walk through any. Non of the parks here in central Florida have any form of metal detectors. The only time you see them is for HHN at Universal. They might use them for the Halloween event at Busch Gardens Africa but I haven't gotten a chance to get down there and check that event out. I also know that Universal uses these metal detectors for their grad bash event and I believe that Disney might use them for grad nite.

[Scaparri]

Ummmmmm...gunshot wound to the mouth not life-threatening?

 

Last time I checked, there aren't any vital organs or arteries in the mouth.

 

Any gunshot wound is life-threatening And any wound to the mouth is dangerous because of infection alone. I've seen people die as a result of dental work.

 

Yes, but my point is just that it's not like a shot to the mouth is necessarily a major life-threatening injury. Sure, any gunshot wound can be life threatening (like Sean Taylor who was shot in the leg), just like any injury, even a scrape, can potentially cause infection. I acknowledge this. My point is that it's not unbelievable for a gunshot to the mouth to not be life threatening, like your original post suggested.

[Swimace]

Well I guess when it comes down to it that guy wasn't even shot. The newer article says he was hit in the face with a rock. Head trauma can be serious, but in this case it sounds like he'll be fine. I don't think this should become a big issue with the park, something like this could happen anywhere.

 

As for the Orlando metal detectors, I guess Wet n' Wild doesn't have them. I went this past summer and I honestly can't remember, but I wonder if they used them for this event. I remember when I went to Grad Bash at IOA/Universal we entered through the backstage area (very cool for a coaster dork) and we had to go through metal detectors. If I recall correctly I don't think Universal even allowed any bags to be brought into the event at all, because they were afraid of weapons and/or alcohol.

 

Now that I think of it, that's the only time I specifically remember having to go through a metal detector at an Orlando park. I may be wrong since I went to Orlando tons of times when I was growing up in Orlando, but you'd think Orlando would be ahead of the curve in terms of security rather than behind.