Today Demetrius O’Neal was convicted of two counts of Second-Degree Murder and one count of Conspiracy to Commit Murder for his role in the Club Blu mass shooting in Fort Myers on July 25, 2016. An 18-year-old and a 14-year-old were shot to death outside of Club Blu, 14 others were injured. The jury returned the guilty verdict this afternoon, in a trial that began October 7th, in Lee County.
The shooting at the former club off Evans Avenue happened on what was supposed to be a fun teen night, but instead children were thrust into chaos as gunfire rang out, as soon as the attendees stepped into the parking lot when the club closed. One witness saying they heard about 100 shots fired.
Another witness, who made a call to 911 from the scene, can be heard helping children, guiding them into a freezer, in an attempt to save their lives, as she described children laying in the parking lot, after being shot.
Assistant State Attorneys Sara Miller and Leena Marcos, of the State Attorney’s Office Homicide Unit, prosecuted the case.
“It is incredibly rewarding to see the culmination of years of hard work. We formed the Club Blu Task Force after this shooting occurred to review hundreds of items of evidence and bring together the resources of many agencies to solve this case,” said State Attorney Amira Fox.
The Club Blu Task Force consists of the Fort Myers Police Department, the FBI, State Attorney’s Office, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
The work of the task force led to the arrest of five people, the defendant, and Tajze Akir Battle, Don Dontrill Loggins, Kierra Russ, and Derrick Leon Church. Church has a pending case.
”Today’s conviction is important. It hopefully sends a message. Violence will never be tolerated in Southwest Florida. We will find you and prosecute you when you engage in violent crime, no matter how long it takes. If you engage in a shootout, you are responsible if someone dies. We will prosecute you for that,” said State Attorney Fox.
The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on December 8, 2025.
Samantha Syoen – State Attorney’s Office Communications Director