Army officials are investigating allegations that a group of Rangers fired blank rounds from automatic weapons without warning at a Florida beach containing crowds of civilians.
The incident prompted multiple calls to police and social media postings, with witnesses and footage showing men wearing Ranger t-shirts and military uniforms firing the rounds at Crab Island near Destin, Florida, on Friday, Task & Purpose first reported.
“The Army is aware of the incident that occurred at Crab Island near Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Friday, May 16,” Jennifer Gunn, spokeswoman for the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Georgia, told Task & Purpose. “We take this situation seriously and are investigating. The Army will ensure accountability based on the outcome of the investigation. No further information is available at this time.”
A group of Army Rangers participated that day in a mock “sea battle” with a pirate ship during the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival, Fort Walton Beach spokesperson Devon Ravine told Task & Purpose.
As part of the “battle,” soldiers with the 6th Ranger Battalion at Eglin Air Base fired blanks from their weapons, according to the City of Fort Walton Beach. A noise alert was sent out early Friday detailing the exact time frame and location of the battle, as well as the noises that could be expected.
Crab Island, where reports of the alleged weapons firing occurred, is five miles from the Fort Walton Beach Landing, the location of the sanctioned event.
“This was the only approved festival activity that involved the Army Rangers firing their weapons,” Ravine told Task & Purpose. “We do not know what occurred at Crab Island on Friday, and cannot comment, except to say that it was not in any way a part of the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival.”
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Michael Ingram, a charter boat captain, told the news outlet that his clients and other boaters took cover when the firing began.
“This is unacceptable because there are so many real mass shootings going on in America each year,” Ingram said. “You can’t be joking about it.”
The soldiers later mingled with civilians, and social media posts show them in military uniforms with Ranger tabs, “Follow me!” shoulder patches and insignia from the Army infantry school.
Boats, gear, uniforms and weapons carried by the Rangers at the sanctioned event at Fort Walton Beach seem to match those seen in depictions of the Crab Island incident.
Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Michel Nicholson told Task & Purpose that the office received two 911 calls about the incident Friday.
“We had the first 911 call come in on May 16th at 3:22 p.m. from the Crab Island area,” Nicholson said. “The dispatch notes indicate a second 911 call came in during that same time frame. It also references three additional calls, but those may have been received over the primary line, not 911.”
The City of Fort Walton Beach published a statement online, clarifying that the incident at Crab Island was not an approved part of the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival. The city said if individuals wished to file complaints regarding the incident, they could contact the sheriff’s office or Florida Fish and Wildlife.
The mock sea battle “was the ONLY approved festival activity that involved the Army Rangers firing their weapons,” the statement reads. “What happened at Crab Island was NOT part of the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival, NOR was it approved by either the City of Fort Walton Beach or the Billy Bowlegs organization.”
Some commentators on social media criticized the crowd’s negative reaction, saying many individuals later socialized with the soldiers and took pictures with them.
Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.
