A man was shot and killed early on Saturday, October 31, outside the Jackson Masonic Lodge on Apalachee Parkway in Tallahassee, Florida, in what police are investigating as a homicide — the sixth shooting incident in a violent eight-day stretch in the state capital, according to the Tallahassee Police Department and the Tallahassee Democrat.
Source: Tallahassee Democrat via USA TODAY Network
Tallahassee police responded at about 1:41 a.m. to 2818 Apalachee Parkway, where officers found an adult man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to a Tallahassee Police Department incident alert. Officers attempted life-saving measures at the scene, and the man was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries, police said.
A Tallahassee police watch commander confirmed to the Tallahassee Democrat that the shooting occurred at the Jackson Masonic Lodge, known locally as Jackson Lodge. He said he believed the shooting happened outside the lodge, which is booked out for private events, but stressed that the investigation was still in its preliminary stages.
Police have confirmed the time, the address and that the case is a homicide investigation. They have NOT identified the man who died, have released no information about what led to the shooting, and have announced no suspect and no arrest. Anyone reporting a name for the victim from social media is ahead of the police — the department has not released one.
Six incidents in eight days
The Apalachee Parkway killing brought the toll to at least 16 people shot in six incidents since October 24, the Democrat reported — though police later determined that one of those incidents was an accidental discharge and another was a Stand Your Ground case, not a crime.
The stretch began on October 24 with the mass shooting near Florida A&M University's Bragg Memorial Stadium after the university's homecoming football game, in which 11 people were injured, including six children. That case has been covered in detail on this site, and a teenage suspect was later arrested in connection with it.
Gunfire was reported again the following evening at a Walgreens in northeast Tallahassee. Police and prosecutors quickly determined it was a Stand Your Ground case that began in the parking lot after a man 'aggressively approached' another man, who allegedly shot him in self-defence. The next morning, another man was wounded in a shooting in the 1000 block of Bronough Street, an incident about which few details are known.
On October 27, a person was wounded at the West 10 student apartments on West Tennessee Street; police later determined that shooting was an accidental discharge rather than an intentional shooting. Then on Wednesday, October 28, another man was critically wounded at Magnolia Terrace Apartments on Magnolia Drive — a witness said a man was shot in the head by someone in a vehicle before the car sped off.
What happens next
The investigation into Saturday's shooting remains open and active, police said. Detectives are asking anyone who witnessed the shooting but did not speak with officers at the scene to call the Tallahassee Police Department at 850-891-4200. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Solvers at 850-574-8477.
Apalachee Parkway is one of Tallahassee's main east-side routes, carrying local traffic past homes, businesses and event venues such as the lodge. For Punjabi and other South Asian families and truckers passing through Florida's capital region, the practical advice from police is the standard one after a homicide with no suspect announced: avoid speculation, and pass any dashcam or witness information from the area around 1:41 a.m. on Saturday to detectives rather than sharing it on social media.
Police have not said when the victim's name will be released — that normally waits until family has been notified — and have given no timeline for a suspect description. This story will be updated when the department releases the victim's identity or announces an arrest.