Orlando Halloween mass shooting victim identified as teen soccer star
A teenage football player has been identified as one of two people killed in a Halloween mass shooting in Orlando on Friday.
Timothy Schmidt Jr., 19, was enjoying a night out with some friends outside “The Block” — a seven-venue entertainment district in downtown Orlando — when a 17-year-old suspect allegedly opened fire on a crowd of thousands of partygoers .
The University of Central Florida freshman and Weston FC soccer player was one of two fatalities that night, while another eight people were injured in the shooting, regional police said Friday.
Officers responded to reports of shots fired at Central BoA. A teenage football player has been identified as one of two people killed in a mass shooting at Ulevard and Orange Avenue around 1am local time and within minutes a second shooting was seen by officers south of Washington Street. on the Oranjelaan.
Schmidt and another man, identified as 25-year-old Tyreek Hill, were ultimately pronounced dead at Orlando Regional Medical Center.
A teenage football star has been identified as one of two people killed in a mass shooting
Timothy Schmidt Jr., 19, was with friends in downtown Orlando when a gunman opened fire
Timothy’s heartbroken father, Timothy Schmidt Sr., opened up about the pain of losing his “unique” son in an interview with The New York Post on Saturday.
“A month before I dropped him off for his summer session at UCF, he was the best man at my wedding and gave the best speech ever,” Schmidt Sr. said.
‘He brought everyone to tears. He was my mini-me and my best friend. We had such a special bond.’
After the shooting, people in Halloween costumes stood in the incident area while emergency workers tended to the victims lying in the street.
Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith said at a news conference that the alleged shooter, Jaylen Dwayne Edgar, had been identified and taken into custody.
“He was just out with his friends having fun,” Schmidt Sr. said of his late son.
A woman, 26, is said to have been hospitalized after being trampled during the chaos after Edgar allegedly pulled a gun and opened fire.
The suspect then ran away and appeared a block away amid the mad rush of the crowd at Orange Avenue and Washington Street, where he allegedly pulled the trigger again.
Schmidt’s heartbroken father (third from left) paid a devastating tribute to his son on Saturday
Suspect Jaylen Dwayne Edgar, 17, has been hit with eight criminal charges in connection with the shooting
Police released images of the moment he allegedly opened fire on the crowd
Edgar has been hit with two counts of first-degree murder with a firearm and six counts of attempted murder.
Police released footage of the moment he allegedly opened fire on the crowd in downtown Orlando, as well as police knocking him to the ground and arresting him.
Schmidt Jr. played for USL League Two team Weston FC before tragically passing away on Friday evening. He was also in his freshman year at the University of Central Florida.
“He was an extraordinary person, a loving son, a caring friend, a talented football player, a great teammate, a kind soul, a hardworking student and an individual with an extremely warm heart and a witty sense of humor,” said student Jacob Egozi , who created a GoFundMe to raise money to support Timothy’s father.
At the time of writing, the fundraising page, which has a goal of $40,000, has raised just over $30,000.