Fort Myers shooting: Sean Archilles, Stef’an Strawder identified as victims murdered, Club says there was security
While the police have not identified the victims, local reports described them as teens who were attending Club Blu’s “swimsuit glow party” and one of the victims as Sean Archilles. Stef’An Strawder was also identified in reports by News-press.com as the other victim.
“Strawder, a promising high school basketball player in Southwest Florida who had aspirations to play Division I college basketball, died after being transported to an area hospital. He turned 18 in June and would have been entering his senior year,” they added.
Strawder’s sister, Sharrelle, 19, also suffered a gunshot wound to the leg in the incident, according to their mother Stephanie White.
Earlier in the evening Stefan had posted on his Facebook page “I’m thinking of going to this party, who all going?”
The Club posted on Facebook that there was “armed security” on site, “inside and out.” Their social media pages have since been removed. “We tried to give teens what we thought was a safe place to have a good time.”
Victims were between the ages of 12 and 27.
Archilles, 14, was one of the two victims killed in the Fort Myers shooting just after midnight and Adline Azemard spoke to the Ft. Myers News-Press newspaper, talking about her cousin.
“My cousin called and said Sean is dead,” Azemard said. “We were at Lee Memorial (Hospital) all night, and they don’t tell us nothing. They have a party for the kids.”
Emma Decimus was at the scene, mourning over her nephrew: “They saw him on the ground,” she said of witnesses.
Syreeta Gary has spoken openly that her daughter was at the club. She said her child ran from a gunman as he opened fire at her and her friend. Gary’s daughter was not shot. More on that HERE
In a post on Facebook, Club Blu said that it was “deeply sorry for all involved,” adding that, “There was armed security as well as full security, inside and out.”
Sean has a twin, “DSean” and both attended Paul Lawrence Dunbar Middle School. The teen’s father Robert was seen briefly, very emotional as expected.