LAKE WALES, Fla. — Two men have been arrested in connection with a shooting that wounded four people at the Lake Wales Mud Hole last weekend, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office (PCSO).
Deputies responded around 12:18 a.m. last Sunday to a property on Alturas Babson Park Cut-Off Road, west of U.S. Highway 27, after multiple people were reported shot, according to a news release.
Investigators said between 150 and 300 people attended the gathering, which had been advertised on social media.
An 18-year-old Lakeland woman who remained at the scene suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen and was taken to a hospital, where she remains in stable condition, deputies said.
Three other victims were taken to hospitals by friends before deputies arrived. They were identified as a 20-year-old Lake Wales woman who was shot in the thigh, a 19-year-old Lakeland man who was shot in the arm and a 21-year-old Eagle Lake woman who was shot in the foot.
According to the sheriff's office, detectives interviewed witnesses at the scene and spent several days identifying and locating additional witnesses.
After interviewing more than 100 people, investigators identified two suspects.
On Thursday, deputies arrested 20-year-old Richard William Fante of Lakeland and 19-year-old Cordae DeShawn Hammonds of Avon Park.
Both men were charged with four counts of attempted second-degree murder and 62 counts of culpable negligence, according to the sheriff's office.
Sheriff Grady Judd said the investigation remains active and additional arrests are possible.
“This was an incredibly dangerous thing for young people to do and it’s a miracle nobody was killed," Judd said in a statement. "I can’t tell you just how proud I am of everyone who worked on this investigation. We tapped into a lot of resources to investigate this case thoroughly, and to get it solved quickly."
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