Update, 8:00 p.m. Friday:
High school drama erupted in gunfire on Thursday night, according to North Port Police.
Police responded to reports of a gun battle on Mayberry Avenue just after 6:00 p.m. Thursday.
Police said it all started after a group of teenagers planned to fight. The fight spilled over to a home on Mayberry Avenue, according to North Port Police spokesperson Brittany Kammerer. That’s when shots rang out.
WATCH: Witness speaks with FOX 4 after police respond to shootout:
Around 11 juveniles were involved, according to police. Most of the kids are students at North Port High School, Kammerer said. No one was hurt.
Police arrested one juvenile on two counts of aggravated assault. Officers recovered one pistol, Kammerer said, after executing a search warrant at a home.
It began over “previous issues” and “drama” at school, according to Kammerer.
“The biggest thing here is parents need to talk to their children,” Kammerer said. “They need to remind them that, you know, things occur, but violence is not the issue, because things can escalate.”
North Port High School freshman Chase Houle lives in the neighborhood. Houle said he heard the shots as he walked back from a nearby park with friends. At first, he wasn’t sure what the sound was.
“Because we were like, it could be anything,” Houle said. “There’s so many weird noises over here.”
But once the police arrived, Houle realized what happened. He said officers yelled at him to go home.
“They were like, get your [expletive] home right now!” Houle said. “And I’m like, oh, okay, I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
Law enforcement swarmed the neighborhood on Thursday night. North Port Police, the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, and Sarasota County Sheriff's Office all responded. North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison and Deputy Chief Chris Morales were both on scene.
Police are still conducting interviews and collecting evidence, Kammerer said. There might be more arrests.
On Friday, North Port Police increased its presence at the high school “out of an abundance of caution,” Kammerer said. Police do not believe anything will happen at the school, according to Kammerer.
“The school district is not able to offer insights on third-party law enforcement investigations,” said Sarasota County School District spokesperson Kelsey Whealy.
Houle, the freshman, said he’s not surprised the incident started at school. He said drug use and fights are a problem.
The school previously limited bathroom access to address ’security concerns,’ according to the district. Multiple students told FOX 4 that vape use and fights were common in bathrooms.
In October, families told FOX 4 that only two bathrooms were open in the school. One North Port High School mom, Stephanie Holtey, launched a petition to change that. Less than one week later, Holtey said all the bathrooms were open.
Update, 11:00 a.m. Friday:
North Port Police say one person is now in custody following Thursday nights shooting on Mayberry Avenue in North Port.
Police say two groups of teens planned to meet earlier in the night to fight.
"Things escalated from there and eventually spilled over into the Mayberry neighborhood, where shots were exchanged between two vehicles. Thankfully, we don’t have any reported injuries. Officers did locate several of the juveniles involved, and one of them has been arrested," said Brittany Kammerer, Community Outreach for North Port Police Department.
Detectives also executed a search warrant and recovered a firearm along with other evidence.
ORIGINAL STORY:
North Port Police say they are investigating a shooting incident that occurred Thursday evening on Mayberry Avenue, where two people reportedly fired handguns at each other.
North Port Police say officers responded to multiple calls around 6 p.m. regarding the gunfire exchange. According to witnesses, both subjects fled the scene on foot after the shooting.
Police say law enforcement has established a perimeter around the area and deployed aerial support and K9 units to assist in the search.
FOX 4 teams at the scene say there is a large active scene with a helicopter circling.
Police say four people are currently being detained as investigators work to determine their potential involvement in the incident.
No injuries have been reported at this time.
The investigation remains active, and police say they will provide additional updates as they become available.
This is a developing story and FOX 4 has a team at the active scene right now gathering more information.
