Houston Texans wideout Tank Dell wounded in Florida mass shooting
Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell was shot in Florida and suffered a minor wound, the team announced on social media.
Dell was shot in Sanford on Saturday evening and has since been released from a hospital in “good spirits,” the team wrote in its social media post on Sunday.
“We are in contact with him and his family and will provide further updates as needed,” the team wrote.
ESPN and multiple local news affiliates reported that Dell’s wounding occurred outside a party venue in Sanford, where a teenage gunman injured 10 people when he opened fire at a private event.
A guard tackled and disarmed the gunman almost immediately, and a second guard handcuffed him until deputies arrived, according to an arrest report from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.
None of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries, the sheriff’s office said in a statement. It said 10 people were treated at a local hospital for gunshot wounds, mostly below the waist.
The mass shooting underscored the problem of gun violence in America and was the latest example of how law enforcement across the country is increasingly struggling to curb violence as young people have easy access to firearms.
In the Florida case, a 16-year-old suspect was arrested on Sunday and taken to a juvenile detention center. He was charged with attempted murder, discharging a weapon in a public place, use of a firearm during a crime and illegal possession of a firearm by a minor.
The shooting occurred during a busy evening event at Cabana Live in Sanford, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Orlando. The venue’s website states it is a restaurant that rents cabanas and hosts pool parties and other events.
Witnesses told police the shooting started after a fistfight broke out. Someone not involved in the fight pulled out a gun and started shooting into a crowd of people, the arrest report said. A security guard standing next to the gunman wrestled him to the ground and disarmed him.
Two officers assisting private security at the location arrived shortly afterwards and arrested the teenager. The arrest report said they also recovered a 9mm handgun and spent shell casings that matched the bullets in the gun magazine.
A post on Cabana Live’s Facebook page said it was holding a private event when the shootings occurred and that all employees were safe. A woman who answered the phone there Sunday afternoon said no one had any further comment.
“We are working with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office and praying for all involved,” the social media post said.
Dell recorded 709 yards and seven touchdowns during a standout rookie season that saw the Texans return to the playoffs as one of the NFL’s bigger surprise packages, but his year was cut short after he suffered a broken fibula in a December game against the Denver Broncos .