ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando police are working to identify a person who fired a gun near a downtown club Sunday, causing a chaotic scene along Orange Avenue and forcing everyone inside the Beacham club to evacuate.
The club’s owner, John San-Felipo, is confident his new security system would have kept the gunman out.
Police said the gunshot was heard at or near the entrance of the Beacham.
It’s unknown whether the shooter intended to go inside.
San-Felipo said that person would have failed because there are three layers of security behind the doors.
Patrons must be patted down, scanned with a security wand and undergo an identification check, using electronic scanners.
The owner said the efforts enable him to know precisely who's in the building should something happen.
City leaders also have plans to add more officers to patrol the downtown area.
“I don't know what happened. We just heard them (gunshots) and took off,” said witness Joe Concepcion.
San-Felipo said the evacuation was orderly, thanks to police and the evacuation plan his staff had recently rehearsed.
“Everybody just left very calmly and walked right outside the doors. So it kind of worked out the way that we trained for it,” San-Felipo said.
He added that detectives are reviewing video from the club's cameras.
“There's a lot of ability for them to go back and try to establish what had happened outside or right at the front doors there,” San-Felipo said.
Some downtown regulars, including Alan Kedrierski, said they see the extra security as a necessary part of life.
“If it's going to happen, it's going to happen. You either take the risk or let it become more real and not go out,” Kedrierski said.
Police said they haven't found the source of the gunfire.
If they do, San-Felipo said the technology will make sure they're ready if the person comes back.
“We can put that person into the scanners and make sure they never come into the club again,” he said.
San-Felipo said hundreds of people were evacuated in a matter of minutes, and he credits the Orlando Police Department for a “swift response.”
Cox Media Group
