Soldiers firing blank rounds at Florida boaters prompts investigation, Army says

The U.S. Army launched an investigation into reports Army Rangers were firing blank rounds from their weapons while surrounded by boaters and swimmers off Crab Island in the Florida Panhandle, officials say.

Fort Walton Beach officials report the incident happened Friday, May 16, after the 6th Ranger Training Battalion at Camp Rudder participated in the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival.

Videos shared on social media show at least two groups of soldiers were in boats when some among them began firing automatic weapons in the crowded waters.

Eighteen soldiers with the 6th Ranger Training Battalion “have been temporarily suspended as instructors” pending an outcome of the investigation, Task and Purpose reports.

Social media outrage over the incident prompted Fort Walton Beach officials to issue a statement declaring city officials were not involved in “military personnel firing their weapons at Crab Island.”

“As part of Friday night’s festival schedule, soldiers from the 6th Ranger Training Battalion at Camp Rudder were to engage in a mock ‘sea battle’ with Billy Bowlegs as his boat approached the Fort Walton Beach Landing. This ‘battle’ involved the soldiers firing blanks from their weapons,” the city wrote in a May 17 Facebook post.

“What happened at Crab Island was not part of the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival, nor was it approved by either the City of Fort Walton Beach or the Billy Bowlegs organization.”

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has jurisdiction over Crab Island and reports the first of five calls about the incident came at around 3:22 p.m. Friday. Details of what callers reported were not released.

Rangers involved in the incident are cadre assigned to the battalion at Florida’s Camp Rudder where the swamp phase of the U.S. Army Ranger Course occurs. The base is within Eglin Air Force Base, about a 30-mile drive northeast from Fort Walton Beach. The 6th Ranger Training Battalion belongs to the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade which is a subordinate brigade of the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning.

It remains unclear what prompted the spontaneous display of firepower. There are no reports of anyone being injured.

“The Army is aware of the incident that occurred at Crab Island,” according to Jennifer S. Gunn, public affairs director at the Maneuver Center of Excellence & Fort Benning. “We take this situation seriously and are investigating. The Army will ensure accountability based on the outcome.”

Videos posted on social media have become part of the investigation. It appears the weapons were not pointed at anyone in the water, and the shots were fired in the air.

Social media reaction to the incident appears divided with some calling the attention overblown, while others note the sound of live fire in a crowd can easily incite panic.

“Shooting off a gun (even if it was blanks) in a crowded public place is not what I’d call ‘benign.’ Not in today’s culture,” Ollie Walker wrote in a Facebook post.

“This could have gone terribly sideways very quickly had just one person felt in danger and took action,” Priscilla Kevern posted.

“If you didn’t see who was firing it would be concerning at the very least to hear automatic weapons when you’re at the beach,” Jeron Stone said.

This story was originally published May 21, 2025 at 10:28 AM with the headline "Soldiers firing blank rounds at Florida boaters prompts investigation, Army says."