Sweet 16 party shooting concerns Riviera Beach leaders after two teens killed

RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. -- A celebration of life turned deadly Saturday night outside Newcomb Hall in Riviera Beach after investigators said gunfire killed two teens and injured six others.

Police said more than 100 people had gathered inside the hall to celebrate a "Sweet 16" birthday party when someone opened fire.

The shooting had both investigators and city leaders on Sunday searching for answers and for who is responsible.

Outside the building, an employee remained on scene scraping away what was left of the glass shattered by bullets.

The broken window, scattered tinsel and multiple popped balloons were reminders of the party that turned deadly.

"It went off like five or six times like, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack," said Steve Siciliano, who witnessed the shooting.

Siciliano and his band were playing next door at the Riviera Beach Marina when he heard and saw the situation unfold.

"Just saw the parking lot filling up with people, running. And it was sad because they're young kids, 17-year-old children having a party," said Siciliano.

Hours after the police tape came down, investigators still had no answers as to why the shooting started and had no one in custody.
 
"You got too many people, running around with guns, young people, just behaving badly that have no regard for the value of life," said Rose Anne Brown, spokesperson for the Riviera Beach Police Department.

City mayor Thomas Masters also spoke out about the shooting.

"As long as there's guns in this community, as long as they end up in the hands of people who make wrong choices and wrong decisions, I going to keep preaching the gospel, you know stop," said Masters.

Masters, who preaches at the church where one of the slain teens attended, said the shooting is an isolated incident.

Masters said the city's curfew ordinance is working but said the deadly shooting makes him want to look into even more changes.

When asked about the application for Newcomb Hall stating "no teen events allowed," Brown said whoever booked the party did not break any rules.

The victims who survived remained in the hospital on Sunday and were recovering from non-life threatening injuries.