BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — What was meant to be a peaceful gathering at Sara Sims Park turned into chaos Saturday night when gunfire broke out during a community event.
Now, three people are recovering from gunshot wounds, and police say the event should never have taken place.
WATCH: Crowd grew to nearly 500 at event despite permit being denied
WPTV has obtained city documents showing the event was not permitted.
According to Boynton Beach police, nearly 500 people showed up for what was advertised as a "Peace in the Hood" event—despite the city denying the organizer's request for a special event permit.
"It was very nice… they were saying it's a nice neighborhood event," said Fiona Millines, who watched the scene unfold from her front porch. "I saw lots of people across the park having a good time."
Millines said she was just about to head over when she heard what she initially thought were fireworks.
"The first two pops sounded like a firecracker," she said.
But the sounds quickly escalated into what she recognized as gunfire.
"I saw people diving in the grass… I quickly realized, that's not firecrackers—that's gunfire… ping-pong, then pow pow pow."
She described seeing people running for their lives.
"They were running in this yard, cowering down by the fence, shaking," she added.
Boynton Beach
Police say shooting that injured 3 happened during 'Peace in the Hood' event
Police say rival gang members began shooting just after 8 p.m., and numerous children were in the area when shots were fired. Three people were hit and are expected to survive.
WPTV obtained documents showing the event organizer submitted a special event permit application to the city on June 17 for an event titled "Stop Violence Awareness." The application estimated between 50 and 100 attendees.
However, the city of Boynton Beach denied the application on June 24, stating that city resources would be unavailable due to post–Fourth of July cleanup efforts. A refund was issued.
Despite that, the event went on—and the crowd swelled to nearly 500, police said.
"Well, still, I think there's no reason for what happened," Millines said. "It's awful, it's ridiculous—and it's actually putting fear in people who live in the neighborhood who just want to have events and have a nice time."
Residents like Anthony Perez said the violence is heartbreaking—but not surprising.
"You know, stop the violence, and then violence showed up," he said. "You want to stop the violence—do it the right way. Get a permit."
Police say they have multiple persons of interest and are asking anyone with information to come forward.
WPTV reached out to the event organizer, who declined to comment. We also contacted the city to ask if any action will be taken for holding an unsanctioned event. Officials tell us the case remains under active investigation.
