3 people shot inside Fort Myers restaurant

FORT MYERS, Fla. – A restaurant near the intersection of Fowler and Hunter streets was reopened after three people were shot inside on Thursday afternoon.

The victims were taken to Lee Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries and are expected to be OK, Fort Myers police said.

The shooting happened inside the Tropical Creole Restaurant, located at 3440 Fowler St., at about 1:30 p.m., police said.

Nearby patrons said they heard between 15 and 20 gunshots, then saw people running from the restaurant.

One person was placed inside a police vehicle with handcuffs on. Jim Mulligan of the Fort Myers Police Department said it is unclear what prompted the shooting.

“We have three people in the hospital. They are all suffering from gunshot wounds,” he said. “They may all be involved in this or they may all be random victims. We’re still trying to determine that at this point.”

Fowler Street was temporarily closed during the early stages of the investigation. The restaurant was also closed for several hours.

A man died during a shooting at the same restaurant in September 2015.

Authorities have not commented on whether any arrests were made.