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Photo by Brandon Oliver/Palatka Daily News. Police stand outside Vick's Supper Club early Sunday morning after a shooting occurred at the club Saturday night.
No arrests had been made by Monday evening stemming from a shooting outside a Palatka nightclub that resulted in two deaths and three people sustaining injuries.
An official with knowledge of the decedents confirmed the two Palatka men who died were 26-year-old Luther Ward Jr. and 32-year-old Dontae Diaz. Palatka Police Department Capt. Matt Newcomb said he could not confirm their identities Monday.
The deaths occurred after a shooting Saturday night at Vick’s Supper Club, 207 N. 18th St. in Palatka. According to the police department’s press release on Facebook, two other people were also shot and one person had been “beaten with a blunt object.”
Newcomb did not say what caused the shooting. The event occurred around 11:44 p.m. Saturday, the police department said in the press release.
All five victims were taken to HCA Florida Putnam Hospital in Palatka before being airlifted to trauma centers out of the county. Witnesses wrote on Facebook that there was a chaotic scene, including a packed emergency room, at the Palatka hospital immediately following the shooting. On Monday, Newcomb confirmed that “there was a crowd at the hospital.”
“We don't have any additional information that we can share right now, but hope to be able to release more information tomorrow,” Newcomb said in a text message Monday.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Attorney’s Office Homicide Investigative team are assisting the police in the investigation, according to the press release.
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