Police describe suspect, seek more clues after deadly ZombiCon shooting kills 1, wounds 5

Fort Myers police released a description of a suspect in the deadly shooting at a zombie festival and said Monday they had heavily scrutinized a bystander’s video showing ghoulish-dressed revelers screaming and running in every direction after four gunshots rang out.

No arrests have been made and police have not released a motive in Saturday’s shooting, which killed one person and wounded five others. The chaotic scene sent throngs of crowd goers pouring through the streets.

The shooting happened around 11:45 p.m., just 15 minutes before the event officially ended. Large crowds were still in downtown Fort Myers and authorities quickly cleared out nearby bars and set up crime scene tape, while others patrolled the area with rifles searching for a suspect.

Police said in a statement the shooter is a white or possibly Hispanic man in his late teens or early twenties. He was dressed in a black T-shirt and wore a flat-billed black and red ball cap. He was spotted firing a black semi-automatic handgun.

Police also released a video from someone who was at the festival. In the footage, hundreds of people in costume could be seen milling around, some having their photos taken with a person dressed in a large skull head and holding a scepter. Four loud pops can be heard in the video, and then people started to run.

Fort Myers Police Lt. Victor Medico said Expavious Tyrell Taylor, 20, died at the scene. Four others were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries and one additional victim refused medical attention, authorities said.

Authorities were reviewing surveillance videos from nearby restaurants and shops in search of clues.

ZombiCon has been a popular event for nearly a decade, but some local residents and business owners have not welcomed the crowd of costumed revelers in the street dressed as limping, bloated, degrading corpses. One restaurant posted signs warning visitors that ZombiCon participants were not welcome. “Quarantined. No Zombies allowed,” the signs read.

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