Police in Ohio are hunting for a suspect after a shooting near a festival in Toledo left multiple victims.
Officers responded around 5:40 p.m. local time to a report about a person shot near Toledo’s Old West End Festival, a two-day event featuring food markets and live music.
“Upon arrival, officers discovered multiple shooting victims,” the department wrote on X. “Many victims have been transported to nearby medical facilities for treatment.”
“The Toledo Police Department is actively searching for the suspect or suspects involved,” it added.
The police department did not immediately announce any deaths tied to the shooting.
A large police presence was spotted on Detroit Avenue near West Delaware Avenue, which has been closed to traffic.
Witnesses told local station WTOL they heard multiple shots and saw people running from the area.
Police are asking members of the public to avoid the area, and to report any information to Crime Stoppers at 419-255-1111.
“I was very close to the scene driving,” Facebook user Bob Grand Lubell wrote in response to the TPD’s announcement of the shooting. “It was packed with teenagers at 5:00. Before the shooting the police presence was very heavy. Still, not enough.”
“I pray to God nobody was killed,” another Facebook user, John Beatrice, wrote in the same thread. “But the police presence was light. And we walked through the crowd that we believe was responsible. We were 20 seconds away when shots were fired. And before that and passing by the food trucks two police officers were standing there not paying attention to the corner and what was going on up towards Detroit.”
The Independent has contacted the TPD, Lubell, and Beatrice for comment.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information.
