US police are hunting for a suspected gunman after one person was killed and five others were wounded at 'Zombicon' in Fort Myers, Florida.
The attack happened around 11.45pm on Saturday night, minutes before the zombie-themed event officially ended. With the streets crowded with revellers, the shooting caused mass panic, as attendees dressed as zombies fled the scene in terror.
Eyewitness Ben Brasch describes a "mass of people with fake flaking flesh fleeing". He added that it became a "nightmare" for police to distinguish between those whose costumes featured fake blood or dummy guns, and those who were genuinely involved in the shooting.
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Police have named the man who died in the attack as Expavious Tyrell Taylor, a 20-year-old who played football at a local junior college. Four people were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, while a fifth person who was injured declined medical assistance.
A police spokesman is appealing for help from those who were at the scene. "There were a lot of witnesses down here, there were a lot of people taking pictures, videos with their cell-phone," Fort Myers police lieutenant Victor Medico told the media. "Anything that could help with this investigation would be greatly appreciated."
The organisers of the Zombicon event, which describes itself as "the largest gathering of zombies and those who love them in the state of Florida", said they were "deeply saddened" by the shooting.
Although more than 20,000 revellers were expected at Zombicon, some locals were less than delighted by the arrival of thousands of people dressed as bloodied zombies and decaying corpses.
A restaurant posted a notice warning that Zombicon participants were banned from its premises. "Quarantined. No Zombies allowed," the notice read. A religious group also picketed the event this weekend.
