T***@aol.com
2008-04-14 11:45:15 UTC
Teen shot at Wet 'n Wild
by Dan Tracy | Sentinel Staff Writer
Orlando Sentinel
11:32 PM EDT, April 13, 2008
Preston Cleckley was wandering the parking lot of the Wet 'n
Wild water attraction in south Orlando on Sunday afternoon when a
melee broke out near him.
"I just heard, 'Pop, pop' and just started running," said the 17-
year-old junior at Atlantic Community High School in Delray Beach.
What Cleckley heard was at least one shot fired at two teenage
brothers from Pompano Beach. One boy was hit in the leg, though the
injury was not serious, said Orlando police Sgt. Barbara Jones.
The shooter was not found, though Jones said a .22caliber handgun
was recovered from one of 32 buses that carried an estimated 1,600
high-school students from South Florida to the International Drive
tourist strip. She could not say whether the gun was used in the
shooting.
Michael Roosevelt, 18, was shot in his left calf. His brother,
Marlin Laguerre, 16, was struck in the upper lip, possibly by a rock.
They were treated at Orlando Regional Medical Center.
The shooting ended a tumultuous day at the park. Witnesses and
police said several fights occurred during the afternoon, culminating
at 4:41p.m. when dozens of kids jumped on an Orlando officer making an
arrest, an incident report said.
Jones said the officer -- who was not hurt -- used chemical spray
to calm the fracas.
At that point, Jones said, several hundred kids were taken out of
the park and told to get on the buses to go home. But students said
the buses were locked, forcing them to wait in the parking lot.
Shortly after 5p.m., at least one gunshot was heard, creating
pandemonium, students said. Many ran about, not sure where to go or
what to do, Cleckley said.
Orlando police, the Orange County Sheriff's Office and the
Florida Highway Patrol responded with more than a dozen marked
cruisers. They shut down several blocks of International Drive from
Wet 'n Wild to Kirkman Road and quickly cordoned off the parking lot
with yellow crime-scene tape. The road was reopened within an hour.
"It was chaos with a gun involved. That's a bad combination,"
Jones said.
One 17-year-old was arrested for misdemeanor assault and
interference in the parking lot, Jones said. She would not release his
name.
Rhonda Williams of Boynton Beach said her 16-year-old daughter, a
junior at Atlantic, , called her shortly after the melee.
"She was hiding behind the bus. She was really shaken up,"
Williams said. "Everyone was running and people were trampled."
Before her daughter got on the bus, she said, an attendant asked
the youths whether anyone had guns or drugs. Williams said the
attendant checked bags before the kids boarded.
She said her daughter wanted to go on the trip after getting a
flier at her school. She paid $230 for the trip, which included
insurance, she said.
"This was my daughter's first and last time on this trip,"
Williams said.
Jones said investigators today will go over witness statements,
talk more to the Pompano Beach brothers who were injured and examine
the gun to see whether it was involved in the shooting.
"We've got to see what we've got and if it takes us anywhere,"
she said.
The teens were part of a Spring Bling 2008 outing sponsored by
XtremeTrips of Fort Lauderdale. Company officials and Wet 'n Wild
officials could not be reached.
The students came from numerous high schools in Broward, Palm
Beach and Miami-Dade counties, police and witnesses said.
They left South Florida early Saturday morning, then spent the
rest of the day and much of the evening at Universal Studios and
Islands of Adventure. There were no reports of problems there.
They spent the night at several hotels on International Drive
before heading to Wet 'n Wild on Sunday morning.
Trouble began brewing shortly after lunch as students from
various high schools began taunting one another.
Ebony Galarza, a 16-year-old junior at Coral Gables High School,
south of Miami, said at least one fight was between students from
Deerfield High in Deerfield Beach and a high school in Palm Beach
County.
"I'm ready to go home," said Galarza, as she waited for police to
finish their investigation and allow the students to leave.
Several students said they had been to Wet 'n Wild with
XtremeTrips in the past and never encountered problems.
Kayla Cox, a 16-year-old 10th-grader at Atlantic High, said she's
afraid that once the word gets out, "my mother might not let me come
back."
Dan Tracy can be reached at ***@orlandosentinel.com or
407-420-5444.
Trav's Note: I prefer my headline.
by Dan Tracy | Sentinel Staff Writer
Orlando Sentinel
11:32 PM EDT, April 13, 2008
Preston Cleckley was wandering the parking lot of the Wet 'n
Wild water attraction in south Orlando on Sunday afternoon when a
melee broke out near him.
"I just heard, 'Pop, pop' and just started running," said the 17-
year-old junior at Atlantic Community High School in Delray Beach.
What Cleckley heard was at least one shot fired at two teenage
brothers from Pompano Beach. One boy was hit in the leg, though the
injury was not serious, said Orlando police Sgt. Barbara Jones.
The shooter was not found, though Jones said a .22caliber handgun
was recovered from one of 32 buses that carried an estimated 1,600
high-school students from South Florida to the International Drive
tourist strip. She could not say whether the gun was used in the
shooting.
Michael Roosevelt, 18, was shot in his left calf. His brother,
Marlin Laguerre, 16, was struck in the upper lip, possibly by a rock.
They were treated at Orlando Regional Medical Center.
The shooting ended a tumultuous day at the park. Witnesses and
police said several fights occurred during the afternoon, culminating
at 4:41p.m. when dozens of kids jumped on an Orlando officer making an
arrest, an incident report said.
Jones said the officer -- who was not hurt -- used chemical spray
to calm the fracas.
At that point, Jones said, several hundred kids were taken out of
the park and told to get on the buses to go home. But students said
the buses were locked, forcing them to wait in the parking lot.
Shortly after 5p.m., at least one gunshot was heard, creating
pandemonium, students said. Many ran about, not sure where to go or
what to do, Cleckley said.
Orlando police, the Orange County Sheriff's Office and the
Florida Highway Patrol responded with more than a dozen marked
cruisers. They shut down several blocks of International Drive from
Wet 'n Wild to Kirkman Road and quickly cordoned off the parking lot
with yellow crime-scene tape. The road was reopened within an hour.
"It was chaos with a gun involved. That's a bad combination,"
Jones said.
One 17-year-old was arrested for misdemeanor assault and
interference in the parking lot, Jones said. She would not release his
name.
Rhonda Williams of Boynton Beach said her 16-year-old daughter, a
junior at Atlantic, , called her shortly after the melee.
"She was hiding behind the bus. She was really shaken up,"
Williams said. "Everyone was running and people were trampled."
Before her daughter got on the bus, she said, an attendant asked
the youths whether anyone had guns or drugs. Williams said the
attendant checked bags before the kids boarded.
She said her daughter wanted to go on the trip after getting a
flier at her school. She paid $230 for the trip, which included
insurance, she said.
"This was my daughter's first and last time on this trip,"
Williams said.
Jones said investigators today will go over witness statements,
talk more to the Pompano Beach brothers who were injured and examine
the gun to see whether it was involved in the shooting.
"We've got to see what we've got and if it takes us anywhere,"
she said.
The teens were part of a Spring Bling 2008 outing sponsored by
XtremeTrips of Fort Lauderdale. Company officials and Wet 'n Wild
officials could not be reached.
The students came from numerous high schools in Broward, Palm
Beach and Miami-Dade counties, police and witnesses said.
They left South Florida early Saturday morning, then spent the
rest of the day and much of the evening at Universal Studios and
Islands of Adventure. There were no reports of problems there.
They spent the night at several hotels on International Drive
before heading to Wet 'n Wild on Sunday morning.
Trouble began brewing shortly after lunch as students from
various high schools began taunting one another.
Ebony Galarza, a 16-year-old junior at Coral Gables High School,
south of Miami, said at least one fight was between students from
Deerfield High in Deerfield Beach and a high school in Palm Beach
County.
"I'm ready to go home," said Galarza, as she waited for police to
finish their investigation and allow the students to leave.
Several students said they had been to Wet 'n Wild with
XtremeTrips in the past and never encountered problems.
Kayla Cox, a 16-year-old 10th-grader at Atlantic High, said she's
afraid that once the word gets out, "my mother might not let me come
back."
Dan Tracy can be reached at ***@orlandosentinel.com or
407-420-5444.
Trav's Note: I prefer my headline.