911 calls capture chaos during Veterans Park shooting in Lehigh Acres

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. —

Lee County deputies are still searching for a person of interest after a fight among teenagers at Veterans Park in Lehigh Acres escalated with a gunshot, leading to increased security measures at the park.

Newly released 911 calls reveal the fear and urgency in the voices of neighbors as they reported the incident.

"I need the police at the Veterans Park in Lehigh by the playground," one caller said. "There's a whole bunch of teenagers beating each other up." Another caller added, "Somebody just did a gun shoot."

The sound of the gunshot was captured during one of the calls, with the caller exclaiming, "Oh, there’s shots fired. Shots fired. Shots fired. Shots fired. Shots fired!" Another caller described the scene, saying, "There are about 30 to 40 young guys between, I would say between the ages of 15 and 20. And they are fighting and shooting."

In response to the incident, the sheriff's office has installed a surveillance tower to monitor the area where the teenagers fled after the fight.

The incident occurred on Jan. 5 at the park off Homestead Road. Families sought safety behind cars as deputies responded, locking down the park and detaining possible suspects. "Get in the car!" one caller urged, noting they heard just one shot.

A person of interest, seen holding a gun in his left hand, is still being sought by authorities. CrimeStoppers suggests he may attend a high school in Lehigh Acres and could be known as "McGill." Deputies reported that a suspect also pistol-whipped a victim, who sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

One witness described the scene, saying, "For an hour and a half, they kept walking back and forth, back and forth and, and then this next group came in, and they came in hot."

Daniel Rayl, a local resident, expressed his disbelief, saying, "To me, it was just. Wow. Cause, you know, we were just at the park playing, like, two hours before that."

The Lee County Sheriff's Office continues to follow leads in the case.

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