Fort Lauderdale police release photo of man linked to July 4 shooting
Police released surveillance photos after a July 4 shot struck a man in the thigh near Seabreeze and Las Olas boulevards, and investigators say the victim was not the target.
Fort Lauderdale police released surveillance photos Friday of a man linked to a July 4 shooting near Seabreeze and Las Olas boulevards, where a man standing on the sidewalk was struck in the thigh about 11:30 p.m.
Detectives are treating the case as aggravated battery. Police said the victim did not know where the bullet came from and investigators do not believe he was the intended target. The victim was taken to Broward Health Medical Center and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The photos show a possible suspect police described as a Black male between 16 and 21 years old with a short afro. Investigators asked anyone who recognizes him or has information about the shooting to call Fort Lauderdale police at 954-828-6617 or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477). Crime Stoppers is offering up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest.
The case has been assigned to the Fort Lauderdale Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit, which handles gun violence and felony assaults and batteries. Detective Tiffany Washington is the contact investigator on the case. Broward Crime Stoppers says anonymous tipsters receive a case number they can use to follow up on their tip and any potential award.
The shooting unfolded in one of Fort Lauderdale’s busiest nightlife and visitor corridors, where Las Olas Boulevard draws restaurant crowds, tourists and people heading toward Fort Lauderdale Beach. A bullet fired there during the holiday period created a public-safety risk well beyond the single injury, especially because police say the victim was not the intended target.
The July 4 case also landed amid a violent holiday weekend in the city. Separate local reports described a boat shooting near the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina and SE 17th Street that injured an adult man and sent him to Broward Health Medical Center, along with another shooting in the downtown Fort Lauderdale entertainment district that turned fatal in a parking garage near the Broward County Governmental Center.
Police have not said who fired the shot near Seabreeze and Las Olas or what led up to the gunfire. For now, the photos and the suspect description are the clearest leads investigators have made public, and the department is relying on witnesses, surveillance video and community tips to identify the man and determine who pulled the trigger in the heart of a crowded corridor.
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