A Thursday morning (June 27) homicide shut down a neighborhood park in Fort Myers and sent helicopters to the sky in search of an assailant. Here's what to know:
Where and when was the Fort Myers homicide?
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said shots rang out at Three Oaks Community Park at 8:11 a.m.
By 8 p.m., authorities had removed the caution tape surrounding the crime scene, although one Lee County sheriff's cruiser remained on scene.
What was witnessed for this Fort Myers homicide?
LCSO said a man parked in the lot took off as the shots fired and then stopped in the median. Within moments, deputies responded and attempted life-saving measures.
How many homicides have there been in Lee County in 2024?
Marceno said this was the seventh Lee County homicide in 2024.
What was impacted by the homicide and the investigation?
- Lee County Parks & Recreation closed Three Oaks Community Park temporarily, including the ballfields and pickleball and tennis courts. It is open today (June 28).
- Three Oaks Middle School, which hosts a YMCA camp, had students in locked down status. Irma Lancaster, a public information officer for the Lee School District, said parents were notified.
- Deputies blocked off Three Oaks Parkway for about 3 miles between San Carlos Boulevard and Winged Foot Drive as detectives worked the scene and encouraged motorists to avoid it. The boulevard has since re-opened.
- Nearby apartment complexes also encouraged residents to shelter in place.
- Marceno said Florida Highway Patrol immediately responded with the sheriff's office, securing nearby Interstate 75 and bringing in a K-9 unit.
- Through most of the afternoon and into the evening hours, motorists traveling south on Three Oaks Parkway were redirected onto Winged Foot Drive while the southbound portion remained shut down through Pittsburgh Boulevard.
Thursday night patrons were allowed back in the pickleball courts adjacent to the crime scene and motorists were allowed travel in both directions without a roadblock.
Earlier in the afternoon, a bicyclist who attempted to cross Three Oaks Parkway out of Pittsburgh Boulevard stopped to ask a deputy securing the roadblock what had happened.
The bicyclist told the deputy he often crosses through the area and expressed shock about the events that unfolded.
What they are saying about the homicide at Three Oaks Park
"I’m confident in my amazing family members and the work that they do that we will hunt and find this suspect," Marceno said.
He asks that anyone with information call Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers at 800-780-TIPS.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Search continues for suspect day after Fort Myers shooting in Three Oaks Park. What we know
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