- Hundreds of guests were present at the “Old West End Festival” in Toledo when shots were fired on Saturday afternoon.
- At least twelve people were injured, two of whom are in mortal danger.
- Governor Mike DeWine condemned the “senseless crime” – the search for the suspects is ongoing.
In a gun incident in the US state of Ohio, twelve people were shot at a festival – apparently they were between 14 and 61 years old. Two of the injured were in mortal danger, a police representative in the city of Toledo told journalists. According to initial findings, the police assume that there were at least two shooters who probably shot at each other. Initially, no suspects were arrested and the search is ongoing.
Videos on social media show how the police stormed the festival site shortly after the report was received.
The festival in Toledo has been a popular event for many years. Police said there were hundreds of guests there at the time of the crime late on Saturday afternoon. Additional officers were also deployed to ensure the security of the “Old West End Festival”. Toledo in northwest Ohio lies on the shores of Lake Erie and has around 260,000 residents.
“Festivals should be safe places”
Governor Mike DeWine was shocked by the “senseless crime”. “Summer festivals should be safe places where families can spend time together without fear of violence.” He wrote on the X platform that he was confident that the police would catch the suspects.
In the USA there are always high-profile cases of gun violence – for example at schools, in supermarkets, nightclubs or at large events. Firearms are easily available in the USA, including semi-automatic weapons. Despite great horror after particularly bad incidents with many deaths, efforts to tighten gun laws have repeatedly failed for years.
Yasmin Rosner (roy), born in 1980, has been working from abroad for 20 minutes at the news desk on the night shift since 2017.
