People filling up their gas tanks and grabbing snacks at a Wawa in Fort Myers narrowly avoided gunfire Wednesday evening, after an altercation between teenagers escalated into a shooting.
The incident took place at the Wawa gas station located at Colonial Boulevard and State Road 82.
The chaos unfolded in broad daylight as nearby workers and customers scrambled for safety. According to the manager of the Wawa, teens began shooting at each other, with bullets striking both an SUV and a white van.
“All of a sudden, you heard three loud pow, pow, pows,” said Megan McNeal, an employee at Hurricane Express Car Wash, which is located next door to the gas station.
Newly released security footage shows vehicles speeding away from the scene moments after the shots were fired.
In the video, a group of individuals can be seen dropping something on the ground before fleeing.
“Scary. Yeah. Because what if we were right there?” said McNeal. She added that the car wash employees often walk over to Wawa during the day.
“We walk over in that direction to go to Wawa maybe 100 times a day. And it’s like we could’ve easily just been one of them walking, and it happened to us.”
Fort Myers police responded swiftly to the scene. They discovered a firearm on the ground and confirmed that two vehicles, a white van and an SUV, were hit by bullets. No injuries were reported.
This isn’t the first time the location has been the site of gun violence. A similar shooting took place there in 2019.
“You never know what can happen now, since in broad daylight, like people are shooting now,” said a local named Kurving.
“I feel like it’s terrifying, especially to the community. And, I mean, someone’s pumping gas to the kids. I feel like it’s really not safe.”
Maria, another witness, reflected on how lucky everyone was to escape unharmed.
“I would just be thankful. I’ll just be like, Thank God I didn’t get hit… I’m safe and my family is safe, that’s all that really matters.”
A witness told police that three to four teenagers may have been involved in the shooting.
The Fort Myers Police Department is currently investigating the incident.
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Source: gulfcoastnewsnow
