Six people were shot and wounded when gunmen armed with long rifles circled a crowd at a Sanford, Florida park over the weekend, with three victims still hospitalized including two in critical condition as police urgently seek public assistance to identify the shooters.
Armed Attackers Circle Park Crowd
The shooting unfolded Saturday at Coastline Park in Sanford’s Goldsboro neighborhood when witnesses reported seeing shooters armed with long guns driving around a crowd multiple times before opening fire. An eyewitness provided details to police about the attack, though the witness declined to give a written statement or allow officers to record the information, according to an incident report released Monday night by the Sanford Police Department.
Three victims remain hospitalized following the attack, with two fighting for their lives in critical condition and another stabilized. The other three victims have been released from medical care. Police Chief Cecil Smith made a direct appeal to the community during a press conference, emphasizing that solving the case depends on witnesses coming forward with information.
Police Chief Demands Community Action
“People know what took place,” Chief Smith told reporters. “People know who these shooters are. People need to be more involved.” His frustration reflected the challenge law enforcement faces when witnesses in communities affected by violence remain silent. The lack of cooperation from the initial eyewitness who spoke to police highlights the obstacles investigators encounter when trying to hold shooters accountable and prevent future attacks.
Neighborhood Plagued By Violence
City records have repeatedly identified the Goldsboro community where the shooting occurred as a public safety risk, most recently during the 2024-2025 budget cycle. A 2018 city report painted a stark picture of the neighborhood’s challenges, stating that “the Goldsboro community has higher than average crime rates when compared to the City of Sanford as a whole” and noting the area “stands out as challenged by public safety issues” across all criminal offense categories.
The violence statistics are sobering. Between 2013 and 2016, eight of the seventeen documented murders within Sanford city limits occurred in the Goldsboro community, representing nearly half of all homicides despite the neighborhood being just one section of the larger city. Mayor Art Woodruff acknowledged Saturday’s shooting as another tragedy while pointing to multiple initiatives the city has implemented, including mentorship programs, youth services, revitalization efforts, and housing security measures designed to address the community’s ongoing public safety challenges.
The area has a higher than average crime rate compared to the city. The fact that it is Black has nothing to do with it.
What is the main reason for so much crime then.
Sun People are into violence.
True story because, I was there. I was a Customs/Treasury Agent is San Francisco in the 90s. There was a big problem with Cuban illegal’s in Florida and the Service needed agents to help those assigned to Florida. I was sent TDY to Miami to work the airport sector on narcotics. One of my cases involved a young man from Jamaica who tried to smuggled hash oil in cases of sweet cream. I had to go to the DEA Dade County office to meet the agent assigned to the case. I was not familiar with the area and got lost when I took the wrong exit off the expressway. The area I went into was mostly a black area and very rundown. There were burnt out vehicles on the sidewalks and most of them were stripped. Numerous black people just stared at my vehicle and several young men ran away. I Stopped an older black woman and started to ask her how to get back onto the expressway. She stopped me with, “Honey you do not want to be here. You will get killed”. She gave me explicit instructions on getting to the expressway and told me to not stop for anyone. I did as she instructed and eventually found my way to the DEA office. The DEA Officers told me she was correct. I was very lucky because two day prior three white young people had made the same mistake I did were murdered in the middle of the day. No witnesses came forward. The poverty and bitterness in those neighborhoods is real.