CNN International Correspondent Larry Modowo has revealed that he was within the vicinity of gun violence at a busy beach area in Hollywood, Florida on Monday afternoon.
In a tweet on Tuesday, the host of African Voices Changemakers said he and the people he was with could have easily been part of the statistics had they sat closer to the beach.
"We were at a restaurant on the Hollywood Oceanfront Broadwalk in Florida when a shooting happened down the street. I took this picture as we ate. We could have easily been part of US gun violence statistics if we weren’t so hungry and picked the 1st spot," Madowo said.
This is the moment the shots rang out. We were here at this exact time, just further down and unaware of what was going on pic.twitter.com/LLtlfSMICY
— Larry Madowo (@LarryMadowo) May 30, 2023
Nine people, including a one-year-old, were shot during a confrontation between two groups.
CNN reported that one person was taken into custody as authorities continue the search for the second suspect.
The area of the shooting is lined with pedestrian walkways, hotels, restaurants and bars and thousands had gathered to celebrate the end of Memorial Day weekend.
Cameras captured people scampering for safety the moment they heard gunfire.
The incident adds to the staggering mass shooting statistics in the US which stand at over 260 since the beginning of this year.