ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando police Chief Eric Smith said during a Thursday morning news conference at police headquarters that overall crime is slightly down in some parts of the city.
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But he spent much of the news conference updating the public on a triple shooting that killed a man, killed a 6-year-old girl and injured her mother.
Smith said last week’s drive-by shooting on Poppy Avenue was gang-related, and that the gang members shot up the wrong house.
He said members of rivaling gangs got into a “nonsense argument” over social media.
“Those guys get mad, hop in the car and go there and do a drive-by shooting and go to the wrong house,” Smith said. “So the person lost their life for no reason arguing about stupid stuff that doesn’t matter to any of us.”
Watch: Teens get more violent charges dropped in Orlando than rest of state, report shows
Police said four teenagers -- whose ages range from 15 through 18 -- have been arrested in connection with the shooting.
Channel 9 found criminal records for all of the four teens, including multiple charges connected to burglaries, assaults, batteries, car chases and thefts.
“That shouldn’t have happened,” Smith said. “That little 6-year-old girl should be out playing with her friends.”
Before last week’s shooting, there were also two previous drive-by shootings on Poppy Avenue.
Watch: Records show 4 teens arrested in Orlando drive-by shooting have juvenile criminal histories
Smith said his officers are being proactive in taking guns off the streets.
He said a new project will soon be announced that involves new safety measures, including getting cameras in the hands of business owners in the Carver Shores neighborhood.
During the news conference, Smith also gave a rundown of where in the city violent crimes, including homicides, are happening most frequently.
He said officers seized more than 1,300 guns used in crimes over the past year. There were fewer than 1,000 seized the previous year.
Read: Road rage leads to shootout between drivers on I-4 in Tampa, troopers say
Smith also said the city saw more than 130 fewer shootings year over year.
He also pointed out the agency’s homicide clearance rate was up to 84% in August 2023 compared to 37% in June 2022.
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