UCF student among 2 killed in downtown Orlando mass shooting

The two people killed early Friday in a mass shooting in downtown Orlando have been identified as Timothy Schmidt Jr., 19, and Tyrek Hill, 25, according to the Orlando Police Department.

OPD on Saturday afternoon provided the names and ages of the two men. No additional details were available about Hill.

Schmidt, of Weston, was a freshman at the University of Central Florida, according to a GoFundMe page set up for his family. Schmidt was studying with aspirations "to follow in his fathers footsteps as a successful businessman," according to the fundraiser set up by Jacob Engozi of Fort Lauderdale.

The two men were among nine people shot — with seven injured — in the melee that started just after 1 a.m. at Central Boulevard and Orange Avenue during a Halloween celebration with many thousands in attendance, according to reports. Minutes later more shots were heard at Washington Street and Orange Avenue.

Jaylen Edgar, 17, was quickly tackled and handcuffed by police after the second round of gunfire as he joined a crowd of panicked people trying to flee, according to authorities and surveillance camera footage. Edgar faces two counts of first-degree murder and seven of attempted murder and waived his appearance in juvenile court Saturday morning.

Police said a 10th person was injured after falling and being trampled by the fleeing crowd. Those injured are between the ages of 19 and 39, according to police. Two people were reported in critical condition.

As of Saturday afternoon, the GoFundMe fundraiser for Schmidt had raised over $35,000 from more than 900 donations.

"Please join the Alpha Epsilon Pi Nu Delta Chapter of Central Florida in raising money for Timothy Schmidt Jr's family as Tim was tragically and innocently murdered in a shooting in Downtown Orlando in the hours following Halloween, on November 1st, 2024," the page said. "He was an extraordinary person, loving son, caring friend, talented soccer player, astounding teammate, kind soul, hardworking student and individual with an extremely warm heart and a witty sense of humor."

With a goal of $50,000, the GoFundMe page said all proceeds will go to his father, Timothy Schmidt Sr., for funeral expenses and other costs associated with the death of his son.

Schmidt Sr. said he was told his son was shot straight through the heart and likely didn't know what was happening.

In the wake of his son's death, he said he has received over 1,000 messages from classmates, ex-soccer teammates, coaches, teachers and parents.

"He's the most genuine and caring person I've ever been around," Schmidt Sr. said.

Schmidt Jr.'s best friend, Simon Gonzalez, was visiting from South Florida and was with Schmidt the night of the shooting but lost him in the chaos.

The two grew up together, first becoming friends in third grade and later rekindling their friendship in high school. They loved laughing over inside jokes and spending time at Schmidt Jr.'s house playing soccer or lounging around in the hot tub.

Schmidt Jr. was the kind of person who didn't bother himself with what other people thought, Gonzalez said. He was reserved, but inside, he cared deeply for others.

"Tim really wasn't the most expressive," he said, "but deep down he really did care a lot for a bunch of people. More than you'd think."

On Friday afternoon UCF sent out an email to the university community about the loss of the two lives — including the student — although it did not identify Schmidt Jr. by name.

"It is with deep sadness that we share the tragic news that overnight in downtown Orlando, a shooting incident resulted in the injury of several bystanders and the devastating loss of two lives, including a student member of our UCF community," the statement said. "Our hearts are heavy with grief as we mourn this tragic, senseless violence, which also resulted in the injury of at least one other student and may have impacted many other students who were out celebrating Halloween in the vicinity of this incident."

In response to the shooting, Mayor Buddy Dyer on Friday afternoon declared a weeklong state of emergency in Orlando that bans downtown bars from selling alcohol after midnight and puts the area under a 1 a.m. curfew. The curfew provides exemptions for anyone traveling to or from work, members of the media along with medical and emergency workers.

The restrictions are set to expire 5 p.m. Friday but can be extended by a City Council vote.

Even though about 100 police officers were patrolling Orlando's downtown streets during the Halloween event, Chief Eric Smith said Friday he was increasing the police presence downtown over the weekend. Halloween weekend is traditionally a raucous time downtown.

The deaths of Schmidt and Hill brought the total number of homicides in Orlando this year to 19, down from 35 in the same period last year, according to figures from the Orlando Sentinel.