STARS Complex rededicated days after reports of gunfire

FORT MYERS, Fla. – A long-serving City Council member was honored Thursday in a rededication ceremony for the popular Stars Complex, just days after reports of gunfire on basketball courts there.

Dr. Ann Murphy Knight, 84, was feted at the outdoor recreation facility on 2980 Edison Ave. that now bears her name.

Tuesday, police were canvassing the center’s basketball courts after reports of gunfire. But employees said their facility, now known as the Dr. Ann Murphy Knight Stars Complex, is safe. It recently hosted a concert without incident.

Knight was known for her efforts to fight juvenile crime in the city during her 22 years as representative for Ward 3, the longest tenure for any council member from that part of the city.

The STARS Complex was built in 1991 and became central to the same children Knight mentored during her time as an educator in Lee County.

The Fort Myers Police Department has declined to comment on Tuesday’s incident despite Chief Derrick Diggs’ insistence on the agency’s dedication to transparency.