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🔫 Reports surfaced of individuals in military uniforms allegedly firing weapons and drinking at Crab Island on May 17th.
📱 Videos and photos shared on social media show the group, reportedly from the 6th Ranger Training Battalion, engaging in the activity.
📣 The City of Fort Walton Beach publicly stated the incident was not affiliated with the Billy Bowlegs Festival.
Mid Bay News has two new pieces of information regarding the incident a week ago at Crab Island.
The Army has officially de-credentialed 18 instructors of the Army Ranger training unit based in Okaloosa County at Camp Rudder, pending the results of an investigation into what happened at Crab Island.
Multiple videos show members of the units in small boats firing weapons at Crab Island. Sound from the video also indicates that their actions scared members of the public who did not know what was going on or why.
A second piece of information comes from the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) logs of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. CAD logs show at least two calls came into the dispatch concerning the shooting at around three in the afternoon on Friday.
The logs indicate people initially thought the weapons might be loaded with live ammunition and feared for their lives.
It also shows the work the Sheriff’s office had to do quickly to establish that there was no threat to the people spending their afternoons on the island.
The CAD added that there were three boats on the water and that the dispatch contacted Eglin Air Force Base and the Coast Guard to determine exactly what was going on.
According to the dispatch, the Coast Guard told law enforcement that “the Army Rangers [were] out there doing training for the Billy Bowlegs festival.”
One caller noted that the whole incident had “ruined his entire vacation” and that “no one cares,” according to the notes in the CAD. Another said he “could legally shoot back” at the Rangers.
We dove into the bureaucratic maze that is the web of jurisdictions over Crab Island and the 6th Ranger Training Battalion. We popped up on the other side with the Army Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Moore.
The director of Public Affairs there told us they were “aware of the incident that occurred at Crab Island Friday, May 16.” They told us that they “take this situation seriously and are investigating. The Army will ensure accountability based on the outcome of the investigation. No further information is available at this time.”
The Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning (the base was briefly renamed Fort Moore after a Vietnam War Hero before reverting back to Fort Benning) is the U.S. Army’s primary institution for training and developing ground combat forces. Located at Fort Benning, Georgia, the MCoE integrates the U.S. Army Infantry and Armor Schools, providing comprehensive training for soldiers and leaders in maneuver warfare. Its mission encompasses preparing combat-ready personnel, developing doctrine, and advancing capabilities for the Army’s maneuver forces.
Fort Benning, established in 1918 and renamed Fort Moore in honor of Vietnam War hero General Hal Moore in May 2023, reverted to its original name. However, it honors a veteran of the First World War instead of a Confederate General, in March 2025.
The installation supports over 120,000 active-duty military personnel, family members, reserve soldiers, retirees, and civilian employees.
We’re looking into allegations made on social media after Billy Bowlegs events on Crab Island.
Here’s what we know so far.
On Saturday, May 17th, before a mock naval battle to celebrate the Billy Bowlegs in Fort Walton Beach, a group of people in military uniform, with military-style boats and weapons, arrived at Crab Island.
Tourists and locals at Crab Island took pictures and videos of members of the group, who they say were members of the 6th Ranger Training Battalion, drinking alcohol and shooting their weapons.
Later on Saturday, Fort Walton Beach posted what they called a ‘clarification’ that insisted that the shooting had nothing to do with the Billy Bowlegs celebration. It read, in part, “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.”
Several calls came into the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office between 2:54 and 3:18 on Saturday afternoon, alerting the Sheriff’s Office of shots fired on or near Crab Island.
We’ve reached out to Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Coast Guard, Army, Eglin Air Force Base and other groups with potential involvement with the situation or responding to the issue. We will update the story as it develops.
Pro Communi Bono
