On Saturday night a street party in Akron turned deadly, leaving 25 people injured by gunfire, including a 27-year-old man who is dead and two people who are in critical condition.
Akron authorities and Mayor Shammas Malik held a press conference on Sunday evening. Police chief Brian Harding said the shooting appeared to be a drive-by at a birthday party at Kelly and 8th Avenue that had spilled into the street.
Around 10 p.m., police said they went to a private residence where the birthday party was occurring. About 200 revelers were present, loud and shooting fireworks, and police asked them to move away from the street because of motor vehicle traffic.
Between 10 p.m. and midnight, people returned to the party, say police, and a little after midnight, police said they started receiving calls about shots fired.
As police officers got to the scene of the shooting, local hospitals reported multiple people arriving at their respective emergency rooms with gunshot wounds.
At the scene, police said they found two handguns and multiple types of shell casings, including casings from a rifle.
As of Sunday night, no arrests had been made and there were no suspects in the ongoing investigation, police said. Anyone with information has been asked to contact Akron Police.
One victim, a 27-year-old man, was killed in the mayhem that occurred near the intersection of Kelly and 8th avenues, authorities told Cleveland ABC affiliate
“This morning, our city is reeling after the devastation of senseless violence,” Malik and Harding said in their joint statement. “With more than two dozen victims, the pain and trauma reverberates across all of Akron today as we search for answers. As with all acts of violence in our city, our hearts are with the victims and their loved ones.”
No details were available on a motive.
“We will bring those responsible to justice, and we need the help of our community to do that,” the mayor and police chief said. “For those who have information about this horrific shooting — we need you to speak up to prevent further violence and retaliation. This can be done anonymously.”
Witnesses told WEWS that multiple rounds of gunfire sent hundreds of people running for cover. One witness, who would only give her first name, Brittney, said the shooting broke out after the street party engaged in numerous street fights.
“There were people on the street fighting; women screaming at their men, like trying to pull them away,” Brittney told WEWS. “But at this point, it got too much out of hand. There were probably 20 to 30 men fighting in the street. So I wasted no time getting through there and out of there.”
Seven patients with gunshot wounds were admitted to Cleveland Clinic Akron General Hospital, including one in critical condition, hospital officials said. Following the shooting and the influx of patients, the hospital put its emergency room on a “hard lockdown” from just after midnight until 3:30 a.m., hospital spokesperson Joe Milicia told ABC News.
“That’s a common procedure when you have gunshot victims,” Milicia said of the lockdown.
The Cleveland Clinic said on Sunday evening that one patient was admitted to a regular floor following surgery, another person is out of surgery and remains in the intensive care unit in critical condition, and three were treated in the emergency room with non-life-threatening injuries and have since been released.
