SOUTH TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) — An evening of music and gathering on Perry Street turned into a scene of chaos Saturday night when gunfire sent people running for safety.
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One witness said she was nearby when she heard multiple gunshots and immediately began looking for her children, who had gone with her cousin to buy toys from another vendor.
“I was literally right there by the gunfire,” Dree Rallings said. “ I heard the commotion, and the next thing you know, I just heard like at least eight to nine gunshots.”
According to the Tallahassee Police Department, the shooting left 12 victims, including 11 people who were shot.
As of Sunday morning, five people had been released from the hospital, six remained hospitalized, and one person was in critical condition.
As residents process what happened, community leaders are emphasizing the need for support and unity.
One local pastor, Raymond Isham, says faith leaders have a responsibility to be present in the neighborhood beyond their churches, offering support and prayer to residents affected by the violence.
“We are here, we're not just, you know, standing in our churches and in our pulpits, but that we're going to come on and we're going to stand with them and we're going to join them in prayer and believe that God can change things,” Isham said.
Florida A&M University President Marva Johnson also addressed the shooting, clarifying that it did not happen on the university's campus. Johnson said the Tallahassee Police Department is leading the investigation to locate and arrest those responsible.
For Carrie Patterson, the violence has not erased the sense of togetherness she sees in the community.
“The spirit of togetherness, the spirit of unity, although it's not always reflected, you can still feel it,” Patterson said. “So I still feel it.”
As the investigation continues, residents say they want the shooting to be remembered as a moment that brought the community together in support of one another, rather than an act of violence that defines the neighborhood.
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