Police said the gunfire followed a fight tied to an earlier dispute in Winter Haven.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — A 16-year-old from Polk County has been charged after police said he fired seven shots during a large teen gathering Sunday at Clearwater Beach, wounding a 17-year-old who remained hospitalized.
Noah Marsh III, of Haines City, faces charges of attempted second-degree murder, discharging a firearm in public and unlawful possession of a firearm by a minor. Authorities said the shooting grew out of a fight between two groups of teens who already knew each other.
Hundreds of teens had gathered May 31 in the 100 block of Coronado Drive for an event promoted online as a “link up,” officials said. Clearwater Deputy Police Chief Michael Walek said investigators learned from the victim that the dispute largely stemmed from social media and party rivalries. Police said Marsh was arrested Monday night in Haines City and booked into the Polk County Jail.
The 17-year-old victim was shot in the leg, arm and chest, officials said. Police described the wounds as not life-threatening. Walek said city cameras and a real-time operations center helped detectives identify the suspected shooter early in the case. “We are fortunate that the victim or bystanders were not killed in gunfire,” Walek said during a Tuesday news conference.
Investigators said the fight was linked to a prior dispute last month in Winter Haven. Officials said the Clearwater Beach event did not have a permit, though the online flyer told people to bring umbrellas and water and said not to bring alcohol or guns. Police said the flyer also mentioned no unsupervised minors. Authorities said many teens at the beach were not supervised and some traveled from other counties.
The state attorney’s office had not decided whether Marsh would be charged as a juvenile or an adult. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said parents could face legal trouble in some cases if their children take part in criminal activity during large takeover-style gatherings. He said possible consequences could range from civil liability to child neglect, depending on the facts.
Officials said the Clearwater Beach gathering was part of a wider pattern of youth meetups promoted on social media across the Tampa Bay region. A similar event in downtown Tampa last month ended with arrests of minors, mostly on misdemeanor charges. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said state prosecutors were reviewing ways to investigate and prosecute people who organize violent or disruptive events.
Clearwater police said officers had been monitoring the beach before the shooting. At the peak, the city had 40 police officers at the event, along with 11 units from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and five units from Largo police. Walek said the scene had been under control before the gunfire.
Marsh remained in custody as prosecutors reviewed the case. The next major step is the charging decision, which will determine whether the 16-year-old is handled in juvenile court or adult court.
Author note: Last updated June 3, 2026.