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.
“We were walking to our car and walked through the corner where it occurred and my wife said we need to go now,” John Beatrice, who was at the festival around the time of the shooting, told The Independent in a Facebook message. “Unfortunately we didn’t see the events, other than hearing the gunshots and commotion behind us as we hurried towards our vehicle and made our way out of the area.”
“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.”
The Independent has contacted the TPD and Lubell for comment.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information.
