Public Safety
Chief Winstrom: “A Minimum of Two” Shooters Still at Large in Downtown Pensacola Shooting
Pensacola Police Chief Eric Winstrom tells Rick’s Blog Live that investigators know three people opened fire during the July 4-5 chaos on Palafox Street that killed 19-year-old Philip “PJ” Sheppard Jr. and wounded six others. Two of the shooters haven’t been caught.
Pensacola Police Chief Eric Winstrom joined me on Rick’s Blog Live to walk through the investigation into the mass shooting that erupted downtown during Fourth of July weekend, when a crowd of hundreds of teenagers gathered in Plaza Ferdinand and along Palafox Street after the fireworks.
- One person is dead. Six others were wounded. And police say at least two shooters remain free.
A Tragedy Amid a Record Crowd
The department had anticipated a bigger-than-usual crowd this year and staffed accordingly, adding 50 extra officers downtown for the holiday. Winstrom said the plan reflected a trend his command staff had watched build over recent years — more young people gathering downtown after the fireworks, “some with not good intentions.”
Even with that staffing, the chief said he heard the gunfire himself.
“I was standing next to the deputy chief who was also working that night, and we gave that look to each other of, you know — is it possible that was fireworks? We’re hopeful. And then we heard the first screams, and we knew right away that it was gunshots.”
Winstrom described a scene of five to seven hundred young people packed into Plaza Ferdinand and the surrounding streets when the shots rang out along Intendencia between Jefferson and Palafox, sending the crowd running and leaving shell casings scattered across the block.
Seven Shot, One Fatally
Seven people were struck by gunfire. Sheppard, 19, died from his wounds. As of the interview, the chief said the rest of the injured had been released from the hospital, though not all will fully recover.
One survivor suffered a catastrophic hand injury that Winstrom described as life-changing.
“Everyone’s out of the woods as far as life-threatening injuries, but the effects of these injuries are certainly going to be carried on for years… certainly not full recovery for everyone involved, which is an additional tragedy.”
Piecing Together the Scene
Managing an active scene with seven gunshot victims spread across several blocks and hundreds of bystanders was, in Winstrom’s words, “total chaos for the first few moments.” He credited Pensacola Fire and Escambia County EMS with arriving quickly despite the crowds and traffic.
Once victims were being treated, detectives shifted to securing the scene, locating shell casings and broken windows, and identifying witnesses. That’s where the investigation hit its first real obstacle.
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- Evidence pointed to two groups in conflict with each other, not a single active shooter.
- Because multiple people may have been shooting at each other, gunshot victims were reluctant to cooperate — a sharp contrast to typical shootings, where wounded victims usually want to identify their attacker.
- Investigators turned to downtown surveillance cameras, cell phone video from bystanders, and body-worn camera footage from the 50-plus officers who worked the crowd that night.
AI Help: Winstrom said AI-assisted tools like facial recognition exist for this kind of work, but the department is being deliberate about how — and whether — to use them.
“There’s some artificial intelligence applications that will do that… a lot of that’s very expensive, and a lot of it really isn’t applicable when it comes to criminal courts. We want to make sure that we’re doing everything legally, ethically, the right way.”
Three Shooters, One Arrest
Investigators believe three people fired guns during the incident. One suspect, identified by Winstrom as Mr. Safford, was arrested and charged. Two more remain at large.
“I’ll just put it out there — suspects, a minimum of two… we know there’s two others that have not yet been arrested. So a minimum of two other individuals that we’re looking to put handcuffs on and hold accountable for this incident.”
By the numbers:
- 50+ extra officers deployed downtown for July 4
- 7 people struck by gunfire
- 1 fatality — Philip “PJ” Sheppard Jr., 19
- 3 shooters identified by evidence
- 1 arrest, minimum of 2 suspects still at large
“It Is a Very Safe City”
Chief Winstrom and PPD deserve kudos for their fast public communication—an 8 a.m. press conference the Sunday after the shooting, followed by Monday and Wednesday briefings, which helped calm rumors in the days after the shooting.
Winstrom said that transparency matters because, without context, the raw numbers can be misleading to visitors and residents alike.
“If I’m just hearing seven people shot in downtown Pensacola, I’m thinking everybody’s getting shot in downtown Pensacola. Not knowing that if you’re not living a high-risk lifestyle… it’s a very, very safe city.”
The investigation remains active. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Pensacola Police Department.
How to report information:
- Call Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers: 850-433-STOP
- Submit a tip online: gulfcoastcrimestoppers.org
- Text Crime Stoppers anonymously
- Or contact the Pensacola Police Department directly
Audio Version