Ocala Shooting Update: Award Ceremony Obstructed Due to Gunfight, Potential Suspect Under Arrest

A violent shooting incident occurred in Citra, Florida, near North Marion Middle School, resulting in one casualty.

Reports by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office stated that one man had passed away in the incident.

According to the deputies, the shooting incident took place just before 7 p.m. The exact cause of the shooting remains unknown as of now.

A representative of the Marion County Public Schools stated that the incident occurred in the parking lot. Furthermore, he claimed that no students were engaged in the incident.

The representative added that when the incident broke out, an awards ceremony was taking place inside the school. According to Fox 35 reports, the ceremony was called off later.

The reports further added that a potential suspect who is thought to have been involved in the incident has been kept under arrest by the deputies. Neither the identity of the suspect nor the victim has been made public.

It is also unclear whether the people taking part in the awards presentation and the shooting are related in any way.

On Wednesday, all gatherings and events at North Marion Middle were called off in the wake of this dreadful shooting.

When Kayla Gaines was approached by the Ocala Star Banner to share insights into the shooting that took place inside the school, she said that gunshots from outside caused the event to stop abruptly.

She added that the participants of the gathering locked themselves in the teachers’ lounge. They then gave statements to deputies and were later freed.

Kayla Gaines added that her daughter, who is epileptic, also came to get an award. However, her daughter had a seizure due to the shooting incident and will be home to recover.

Times Now reported that another woman told the Ocala Star Banner that sixty to seventy individuals heard gunshots just after the sixth graders had finished getting their medals.

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