The Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO), the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and other authorities are investigating two Memorial Day weekend shootings that left one person dead and three injured at Ginnie Springs.
The incidents occurred in the overnight hours of Friday, May 24, and Saturday, May 25, according to a GCSO press release.
“No additional details are being released at this time to maintain the integrity of the ongoing investigations,” the press release said. “The men and women of GCSO and their neighboring law enforcement agencies have worked tirelessly, around the clock, for days on end to investigate these horrible crimes and to bring those responsible to justice.”
The State Attorney’s Office told Mainstreet that one person died, another was hospitalized and two suffered minor injuries in the incidents.
According to GCSO, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, Florida Highway Patrol, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Dixie County Sheriff’s Office, Gilchrist County Fire Rescue and Gilchrist County Emergency Management have also assisted the investigations.
On Sunday, when Ginnie Springs temporarily closed due to the investigations, GCSO released a description of a person of interest, but it later said it was no longer trying to identify the individual.
“We would like to thank everyone who assisted in attempting to identify the subject,” a Sunday evening post said. “Further updates to come.”
The Ginnie Springs Facebook page said the facility was open Monday.
Ginnie Springs, a private property west of High Springs, has a history of tragic accidents, including Memorial Day last year, when a woman fell out of a moving Jeep and was run over by a trailer. Only a month before, a toddler died after an SUV ran over him at a Ginnie Springs campsite.
“Something’s gotta change,” a woman, Debbie McIntosh, wrote on Facebook in response to one of the weekend GCSO Facebook posts.
A Facebook group called “Citizens for Holding Ginnie Springs Accountable” has more than 1,300 members.
Ridiculous that groups can ruin what the taxpayers pay for to relax on weekends and Holidays. Out of control people should be fined and incarcerated. Public access Park Privileges’ revoked.
This isn’t a public park Juan
It’s not a public park. Private Company that charges.
Memorial Day is dedicated to remembering those who gave their lives in service to our nation. I doubt many of them would have appreciated the ideas of Freedom and Liberty mutating into “I can do whatever I want whenever I want and wherever I want and I’ve got guns to back that up.”
Ginnie springs owners need to crack down on the out of control partying on holidays. Been going on way too long. It’s all about the $$$$ they make on these holidays so they don’t care what goes on there.
Either someone needs to bring a civil suit against the park owners/management for allowing these things to happen or they need to have criminal negligence charges brought against them.
To many people these days are not being held accountable for their actions. A lot of people act like real life is a video game, (I can do whatever I want to whomever I want and it’ll be ok, I can shoot someone and it’ll be ok, I can spend 100 mph through a school zone and it’ll be ok, I’ll just push restart on the game).
They have you sign a wavier when you go through the gate that releases them from any legal responsibility if you die or injured while there. We just need the county to step up and do something about it like Dixie county did with Bob’s river place.
You can bet that too much alcohol was involved.
Sad, but true.
Do they have independent security there now, since this is a private business?
The stories I have read make me sick. The owner of Ginnie Springs needs to be run out of town. Shamed into leaving as they have been responsible for more misery that anyone should be allowed to deliver upon a community that does not want the fallout from their greed. Shame on you Ginnie Springs, there are no words to redeem yourself. People see you for what you are. You can’t hide anymore.
I know people who went there on Saturday. They said it was packed and everyone was openly drinking. There were a lot of sketchy people and not family friendly. If the shooting happened overnight on Friday, why did they wait until Sunday to close it for the investigation?