Market being a major tourist destination this weekend shooting has
raised new concerns about safety in downtown Savannah.
Wisconsin's Christine Qualey continues our team coverage now.
She spoke with tourism leaders today.
Yes, Ben. So even on a Monday evening here,
you can think the square is still filled with people
exploring the city.
And on a Saturday night,
you'll see even more people headed to bars and restaurants.
But after such a violent incident,
some are expressing concerns that they don't really want to
spend time here downtown.
And some say that could be a concern for the
city because it could lead to a hit in their
economy.
So over $4 billion, that's how much,
according to Visit Savannah. That people spent in 2022 here
in the city and not to mention over 27,000 locals
in Florida and Savannah's hospitality sector,
with a mass shooting in an area highly trafficked by
tourists.
It begs the question of whether that could lead to
a downtick in sales for local businesses and in turn,
revenue for the city. Especially with three shootings downtown just
Saturday night and WSCB reporting on more than 10 within
just the past month.
One person who works downtown describing the moments just after
the shooting.
Had this guy come up to me associated with me
from cross.
Like, hi, like I'm blah,
blah, blah. You're really pretty.
And I was like, oh,
thank you. And I saw you get a Band-Aid on
his face.
And he was like, I'm really sorry about the Band-Aid.
And I was like, oh,
no, it's fine. I didn't think anything of it.
And then he was like,
I got shot tonight and I was like,
oh.
He was like, yeah, that shooting that happened down the
city market.
And I was like, oh,
like that was when I realized,
like, it wasn't.
So police have not yet disclosed the identities of those
who were victims in the shooting.
But one person we spoke to who was actually president
at the time of the incident in this area tells
me that one of the victims actually lived just blocks
away here close by. So we will be sure to
keep you updated on air and online as we learn
more reporting in Savannah.
Christine Quayley, WSAV News 3 on your side.
Christine, thank you. Just this afternoon there was another.