1 dead, 2 hurt in Florida city shooting; hunt launched for gunman

At least one person was killed, and two others were injured after a gunman opened fire in the US state of Florida’s Jacksonville Beach city. The police have launched a hunt for the perpetrator.

According to media reports, the incident occurred in the city’s downtown area on Sunday night.

In a social media post, the Jacksonville Beach Police Department said it “is currently working on an active shooter incident in our downtown area”.

“This is an active scene, and we are asking everyone to shelter in place at this time,” the post said.

The Department also provided a hotline number for “any information that can assist us”.

But in a tweet later, the Department said “the shelter in place has been lifted”, but officers continued to investigate at the scene.

Citing Sgt. Tonya Tator of the Jacksonville Beach Police Department, a CNN report, said that the downtown area “will remain shut down until further notice”.

The police are searching for “what they believe are multiple shooters”, Sgt. Tator was quoted as saying. She added that the incident took place “out in the open”.

Jacksonville Beach, with a population of about 23,830, is about five hours away from Miami.