Nine people were injured in a mass shooting in downtown Cincinnati early Sunday when police say a fight broke out between two groups of people at around 1:30 a.m.
Two officers were nearby when someone pulled out a gun and started shooting into a crowd. Lt. Col. Mike John says an officer shot at the suspect, who then fled the scene.
"Now following that exchange of gunfire, when that individual left the scene, there were more shots fired south on Main Street," he said. "So we know we have at least two people firing."
Both are still at-large.
Mayor Aftab Pureval says it shows just how bad gun violence has become.
"It's so commonplace that two officers are standing right there, and shots are still fired nevertheless," he said.
All nine victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries and no arrests have been made.
'We need personal responsibility'
This is the city’s fourth mass shooting this year.
"Obviously it's an incredibly challenging issue," Pureval said. "There's more guns than people in our community right now. And with the increased inability for people to resolve their differences without reaching for a gun, it's a challenge. But nevertheless, we're going to work hard to prevent this from happening."
He says the city is doing all it can from a resource perspective.
"Our law enforcement officers are up all night — all night on the weekends — in order to prevent this from happening," he said. "And despite that presence, standing right there, people are still shooting each other on Main Street. We need personal responsibility. We need people to call the police when they're having a disagreement. But we also need help to prevent the increase in guns in our community, at every level of government."
Pureval says he’s been clear in opposing a recent Ohio law change that allows concealed carry without a permit. Otherwise, Pureval declined to comment on what federal or state-level changes should be made.
Shootings and homicides spiked early on in the pandemic. Both are trending down, but still haven’t reached pre-pandemic levels. All other categories of violent crime are at a 10-year low.
