West Palm Beach police seek help in tracking down house party shooter

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The West Palm Beach Police Department (WPBPD) is asking for the public’s help with a shooting that left one person injured early Sunday morning near a house party.

Police are searching for one of the people involved in the shooting and are asking the public to keep an eye out for a car that may have gunshot damage on the outside.

The shooting happened in a parking lot on the corner of 37th Street and Broadway across the street from the Queens Lodge Motel at 12:33 a.m. on Sunday.

Upon arrival, officers found a 19 or 20-year-old with a gunshot wound to the leg.

Investigators say it was between a group of six people and a vehicle that was driving westbound on 37th Street.

The person driving the car and someone with the group of people in the parking lot exchanged gunfire.

West Palm Beach Police spokesperson, Mike Jachles says he hasn't been provided details about who fired the first shot.

"The group of about six people who were in the parking lot that were fired upon, have been cooperating with the investigation," said Jachles.

Police were alerted to the shooting through ShotSpotter, a detection system that pinpoints gunfire and notifies police where to go.

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Neighbor Yuyuqui Calderon says she didn’t see anything, but she heard it.

“I was sleeping and I heard like six gunshots I woke up. And I'm like, maybe three minutes later, they went off again, like four more," said Calderon.

According to police, the group of six people and a person in the car exchanged gunfire, and then the car took off leaving one person injured.

“There was one victim a male about 19 or 20 that was struck in the leg. He sustained a minor gunshot wound and was taken by the West Palm Beach Fire Department to the trauma center for treatment," said Jachles.

Calderon says the fact that something like this happened so close to her house makes her nervous, especially for her kids.

“I just tell them to stay near the door. I don't tell them to wander off because you never know who's driving around with a gun. Tell them to be careful," said Calderon.

Police say they don’t believe the shooting was random and the house party was publicized on social media. So they’re not sure if the party host was being targeted or if this group was, but Jachles says this is a reminder to the public to be cautious when hosting a party.

“When you're when you're having a house party, and you're charging a cover charge,” said Jachles. “And inviting the general public, you don't know who's going to end up so there's no way to vet your guests or know what's going to happen.”

The man injured in the shooting was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center and is in good condition.