Police said a teen gathering at an island beach was interrupted by gunfire, sending partiers into a panic
Police said a teen gathering at an island beach was interrupted by gunfire, sending partiers into a panic.
The Tybee Island Police Department responded to the gathering of hundreds of people at the Tybee Island Pier and Pavilion area around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Partiers scattered as they heard a gunshot ring out during the “unpermitted, pop-up event,” according to police. Tybee Island is a tiny barrier island off the coast of Georgia that sees about two million visitors each year.
Video from Saturday night shows people screaming, frantically running across a parking lot, and jumping over railings to get away. Police said they believe a gunshot was fired and that it may have been fired from the beach.
Police said no victims have come forward. They added that they are searching for people seen in the video emerging from below the pier and pavilion. They ask anyone with information to contact them at 912-786-5600 or at sstuber@cityoftybee.gov.e forward.
🚨🇺🇸 DERNIÈRE MINUTE : La ville de Tybee Island (Géorgie) sous le choc après qu’une foule de centaines d’adolescents a pris d’assaut une jetée avec un DJ, l’événement se terminant par des tirs.
Des jeunes ont été vus sautant des clôtures et fuyant à travers les bois. La police… pic.twitter.com/s0ZyKP6OQo
— Trump Fact News 🇺🇸 (@Trump_Fact_News) April 7, 2026
Based on its proximity to the pier and the reactions of the crowd, the gunshot may have originated from the beach below,” a police statement read.
“At the end of the video, two individuals emerge from the darkness who they believe have information to share about the investigation.”
Witnesses told local TV news that the scene was chaotic.
“Out there were like 15 girls. Came out yelling at us two last night for no reason,” island visitors told WTOC-TV. “We were here, but, like, it was like, drunk white girls. Just a cloud of white girls just walking around.”
Public Information Officer Cpt. Emory Randolph told the Savannah Morning News that more patrols will be sent to look out for unpermitted events.
He also confirmed that police had not seen any unpermitted event promoted on social media before Saturday’s gathering. They have already identified one unpermitted event on April 11.