Gainesville leaders fault permitting, operations after shooting linked to TB McPherson event

City officials on April 24 reviewed a shooting linked to an Easter-themed gathering near TB McPherson Park that left 20-year-old Octavia Bridal critically injured and two others hurt, and they said failures in event permitting and operational coordination contributed to the breakdown.

City Manager Curry said the special-event application for the gathering — described to police as an Easter egg hunt for roughly 400 people with a request for 10 off-duty security officers and four Gainesville Police Department (GPD) officers — was routed to multiple departments but did not trigger the higher-level review she expected. “I don't believe that this would have occurred if we had denied the permit,” Manager Curry said, adding she intends to “address some disciplinary issues” related to how the permit and review were handled.

The shooting occurred Sunday, April 20, near First Missionary Baptist (reported in the meeting as the site near where shots were fired) after the Easter-themed event at TB McPherson. The manager told commissioners that the event’s organizers originally requested a later end time but staff on scene denied a requested extension; social-media graphics advertising an 8 p.m. end persisted and may have contributed to confusion. Chief Nelson Moy said GPD’s priority remains resolving the case and that investigators are following tips and leads: “Our number 1…