3 men wanted for violent attack at downtown Fort Myers library

The Fort Myers Police Department is asking for help identifying three men who they say violently attacked a homeless person sleeping at the library downtown.

Police say the three men in the photo above attacked the victim around 4:30 a.m. on March 11. FMPD is calling the attack senseless and unprovoked.

We know very little about the men, but Mike Overway, the executive director of the Lee County Homeless Coalition, said he doesn’t need to know much to send them this message. “You yourself one day could be that target. I don’t know who they are. My guess are they’re younger guys.”

Fort Myers police don’t know who they are either, but their report paints an ugly picture of what detectives believe they did.

The report says the three men were drinking and being loud, and when the victim asked them if they minded being quiet, that’s when one of them hit the homeless man with a beer bottle before kicking and punching him repeatedly.

“Statistically, it says that folks who are unhoused or homeless are 78% more likely to experience a crime, a violent crime against them, then people who are housed,” said Overway.

Overway said since Hurricane Ian, our homeless population is only growing.

“On average, we have anywhere that we count in one day 500-700 folks, and that’s just a one-day snapshot, and that doesn’t include the children in our school district who are experiencing homelessness.”

If you have any information on who the suspects are, you can call Fort Myers police at (239) 321-7700 or Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS.