A shooting at a nightclub in Fort Myers, Florida has taken the lives of at least two people.
According to various news outlets, a minimum of 16 other patrons were wounded in the attack.
The New York Times has confirmed that authorities responded to the incident at Club Blu around 12:30 a.m.
Once they arrived on the scene, police found several victims suffering from gunshot wounds.
The club was reportedly hosting a “swimsuit glow party” indoors with live performances on Sunday night when the tragedy took place.
“[At] this time, the scene is still very active as investigators and crime scene personnel attempt to determine what had occurred,” Captain Jim Mulligan of the Fort Myers Police Department said in a statement.
“The Police Department is attempting to determine a motive for this incident.”
About an hour after police cars and ambulances arrived at the club, many of those injured were taken Lee Memorial Health System for treatment.
The victims ranged from 12 to 27 years old because the party was actually aimed at a young demographic.
“Sixteen people were treated in the trauma center and emergency department,” Cheryl Garn, a hospital spokesperson, told the aforementioned newspaper.
Club Blu bills itself as a New Orleans-style restaurant and lounge, according to its Facebook page.
“We are deeply sorry for all involved. We tried to give the teens WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS A SAFE PLACE TO HAVE A GOOD TIME. Ages 12-17,” the establishment has said via statement.
“There was armed security as well as full security, inside and out.
“As the club was closing and parents were picking their children up…..that’s when all this took place. There was nothing more we could of done [as] you see it was not kids at the party that did this despicable act.”
Authorities have detained three adults in relation to the shooting.
However, the motive for the shooting remains unclear.
“It was chaos. I saw a bunch of people running across the street,” nearby resident Jermaine Wilson told CNN. “It’s incredible that this can happen at a teenage [event].”
This tragedy comes a mere six weeks after gunman Omar Seddique Mateen killed 49 people and injured 53 others at gay nightclub Pulse in Orland on Junoe 12.
The incident was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.