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Alabama A&M University

Seven people shot at Florida spring break party

Yamiche Alcindor
USA TODAY
David Jamichael Daniels, 22, of Mobile, Ala., was apprehended and charged with attempted murder.

Police say seven people were shot early Saturday at a spring break house party in the Florida Panhandle.

The Bay County Sheriff's Office says multiple 911 calls flooded in just before 1 a.m. Saturday reporting gunshots in Panama City Beach, Fla. No fatalities have been reported from the shooting, but at least three of the victims are hospitalized in critical condition.

David Jamichael Daniels, 22, of Mobile, Ala., has been charged with seven counts of attempted murder and is jailed awaiting an initial court appearance.

When police responded to the chaotic scene, they found seven shooting victims. Three victims were found in the home, one in front of the house, one in the median of Thomas Drive, and two across the street from the home, according to WJHG-TV.

A .40-caliber handgun believed to have been used was found in the yard of a nearby home.

At least three were critically injured: Kearria Freed, 20, who was shot in the head; Devanta Moore, 21, who was shot in the chest; and Henton Franklin, 22, who was shot in the side. Three others were listed in stable condition: Jacole Young, 22, who police said was shot in the back three times; Kelli Curry, 21, who was shot in the leg; and Tykeria Ethridge, 22, who was shot in the neck and shoulder.

A seventh victim — Anesia Powell, 20 — was shot in the left arm, chest, and knee, and was undergoing surgery Saturday. No condition was given.

Three of the victims--Freed, Curry and Powell-- are students at Alabama A&M University visiting Panama City Beach for spring break, said university spokesman Jerome Saintjones. He said investigators in Florida told the university police department the students were innocent bystanders.

University officials were sending staff to Panama City Beach to assist the victims.

Sheriff Frank McKeithen said hundreds of people have been arrested in recent weeks around Panama City during raucous spring break celebrations. The crowds of college students bring a parallel migration of unsavory visitors to the area, he said, and combined with heavy consumption of alcohol, It's "a recipe for disaster."

Meanwhile, along Panama City Beach, partying continued Saturday as hundreds of kids cruised up and down the main road. During February and March up to six million young people visit Panama City Beach, which some have called "the Spring Break Capital of the World." The Panhandle town has a resident population of about 12,000.

By sunset on Saturday new renters--a family with Indiana license plates--had moved into the vacation rental home, which is located several blocks from the beach. The family would not talk to reporters, but said they were aware that several people had been shot inside the house less than 24 hours earlier.

McKeithen said Daniels was free on bond on a drug possession charge in Alabama and was accompanied by two others, one of whom had been recovering from a gunshot wound suffered in Mobile last week.

The accused shooter's companions were questioned, but not charged. Authorities did not mention a possible motive.

Contributing: The Associated Press and CNN

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