(IntegrityPress.org) – One person was killed and 24 more people were injured during a mass shooting in Akron, Ohio early Sunday, June 2.
Capt. Michael Miller with the Akron Police Department said two of the victims were critically injured during the shooting, but all the other injuries were minor.
No one has been arrested yet, the man who died was only 27 years old. Victims were distributed across area hospitals.
Police were able to locate a firearm and spent shell casings during their investigation afterward. The shooting itself occurred in the small hours of the morning, shortly after midnight.
Media reports have described the event in question as a birthday party that had a lot of attendees. Witnesses described hearing what they thought were fireworks before realizing the popping sound was gunfire. One woman said she was “petrified” after realizing what was happening, her children were with her at the event.
Another witness, Joyoux Payne, described how things went from celebratory and safe to dangerous and panicked in an instant. Payne highlighted that he hadn’t observed any drama, fighting, or anything that suggested violence was about to break out and he didn’t understand the motive.
The party was very large with hundreds of attendees and eventually expanded to encompass the neighborhood. One unnamed witness described a movie-like scene where the party was wild enough that people were dancing on top of cars, but insisted everyone was having a good time.
A joint statement from Mayor Shammas Malik and Police Chief Brian Harding suggested that the police are pursuing the matter and called the attack “senseless violence.” The statement also asked the public for help bringing information forward that could aid police. The statement suggested police could bring resolution whereas failure to come forward could trigger more outbursts of violence.
Commenters were quick to suggest the event was more of a “drive-by” shooting than a mass attack. Mass shootings are technically defined as mass casualty events where more than three people are shot.
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