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Disturbing new footage has emerged from the incident at last weekend’s RIZE Fighting Championship event in Florida which descended into chaos when a gunman fired at least one shot during a crowd brawl.
The clip, which was obtained by TMZ Sports, shows an unidentified man in a red shirt drawing a handgun and firing it in the air inside the event at the Bamboo Room on March 20 in an apparent attempt to restore order after several fans become embroiled in heated exchanges.
The gunshot – two were reported though just one is evident on the recordings – failed to do so, however, and led to extreme panic amongst the show’s attendees, some of whom were sitting in elevated balconies overlooking the cage leading to initial concerns that one or more fans could have been struck by an errant bullet.
The latest footage from the incident , which can be seen on TMZ’s website, shows several members of the crowd attempting to confront the gunman but many appeared hesitant to do so given that he was holding a loaded firearm.
Soon after the man was detained by armed security staff – before he was released from their custody prior to the arrival of police, and he hasn’t been seen or identified since.
“Who knows what his thoughts were, if it was to diffuse the situation, but you can’t do that in the United States, especially at an event packed with fans, with people, you can’t shoot guns in the air,” Rize promoter Armando Gonzalez said to NBC Miami.
“Unfortunately, our Saturday Night event came to an abrupt end due to unwelcomed and unacceptable behaviors of some of the attendants of the event,” Gonzalez added in a post to Facebook.
“However we will not let these unfortunate incidents disrupt our promise to entertain local fight fans. We have been fortunate to have one of the safest fight events in the area. We at RIZE are dedicated and will continually focus on safety for all in attendance at our future events.”
Footage of the shooting was initially posted to social media by former UFC fighter Hector Lombard, who described the scenes as “shameful and pathetic“.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that they have opened an active investigation into the incident and have asked locals for assistance in identifying the red-shirted man.
Numerous people required medical treatment following the brawl, which saw several groups punching and kicking each other. Chairs were also thrown during the fracas.
However, local authorities confirmed that the injuries received were minor ones and that no one had presented for treatment for a gunshot wound sustained in the incident.
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