Downtown Fort Myers shooting investigation continues

Detectives clear out after spending part of the day investigating a shooting that lodged two bullets in a man’s chest. The shooter has been on the run for five days after firing shots during an argument on Hendry Street in downtown Fort Myers.

Fort Myers police won’t talk about what their detectives were exactly doing in the area. But, WINK News does know that FMPD brought in members of the Cold Case Unit in addition to their own detectives.

Thursday morning, the City of Fort Myers shut down Hendry Street. The same road where last Saturday night, two groups of bikers got into a fight that escalated into gunfire.

“Somebody’s still in bad shape. It’s really sad, especially an innocent bystander if I understand it correctly. So very sad, unfortunate,” Fort Myers resident Kurt Goerke said.

When WINK News saw Hendry St. closed Thursday morning, we called FMPD to find out if there was a break in the case or new information. The answer was yes and no at the same time.

There has not been a break in the case, and no arrests have been made, but detectives were back at the scene talking with more people.

And it turns out that closing Hendry St. had nothing to do with the investigation. Instead, crews needed to bring in a crane to work on some air conditioners.

“Hopefully it was a fluke situation and it won’t be something that we’ll have to deal with,” Cape Coral resident Erin Black said.

Erin, and people like her, are a bit shaken up since the shooting. They’re wondering if downtown is still safe. And with Cinco De May and Art Fest happening on Friday, security is on everyone’s mind.

“There are cameras located throughout downtown. And then of course we work with fire, police, and emergency services for all of our events,” Lisa Sbuttoni, from the Fort Myers River District Alliance, said.

Sbuttoni has worked with the Fort Myers River District for five years. She’s confident if you come down, you’ll be completely safe.

“There hasn’t been one incident in my five years or the 15-year history of Artwalk. The demographic that comes here are people that just want to enjoy our beautiful downtown, have a good time with their families and just see some art and listen to some music,” Sbuttoni said.

An FMPD spokesperson told WINK News there will be an increased officer presence downtown on Friday.

Late Wednesday afternoon police and Crime Stoppers released a picture of a pickup truck that was driving on Hendry St. when the shooting happened. It appears to be white, has four doors, a black bed, and black trim. If you recognize the truck call FMPD or Crime Stoppers.