Sandy MaloneCincinnati, OH – Nine people were shot outside a bar in Cincinnati on early Sunday morning and police are still searching for the gunman.
The mass shooting occurred at about 1:38 a.m. on Aug. 7 outside of Mr. Pitiful’s bar located at 13th and Main Streets in the Over-The-Rhine entertainment district, WXIX reported.
Officials said that police officers initially responded to the area to clear a large and disorderly crowd out of the street.
Police said a fight broke out between two groups of people and at least two people involved in the ruckus pulled out guns and started firing at people near the intersection of Main and Woodward Streets, WXIX reported.
Cincinnati Police Lieutenant Colonel Mike John told reporters that an officer fired one round at a fleeing suspect, but police don’t know whether the person was hit, NBC News reported.
“What I can tell you is that the individual that he fired at was actively shooting a firearm at that time,” Lt. Col. John said.
The suspect fled the scene on foot after the officer shot at him.
The officials said there was “no question” that the officer’s fast response to the shooting saved lives.
9 people shot outside a bar in OTR in what Cincinnati police are calling a 'mass shooting'. FOX19 NOW is on the air now with live team coverage. You can also watch wherever you stream. pic.twitter.com/jvbzzJs42J
— FOX19 NOW (@FOX19) August 7, 2022
Lt. Col. John identified the officer who discharged his weapon as Cincinnati Police Officer Joe Shook, NBC News reported.
He told reporters at a press conference that more shots were fired after the gunman that Officer Shook shot at fled the area, leading police to believe there may have been more than one shooter.
Officials said nine people were shot by the gunman.
Authorities said that police used two “bang balls” — a “percussion instrument” with a “very loud noise” — to break up the crowd gathering around the officers as they tried to give First Aid to the wounded, the Associated Press reported.
Lt. Col. John said some of the wounded were transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center via ambulance and some got themselves to the emergency room, WXIX reported.
He said none of the victims were in critical condition and that most had gunshot wounds to their lower extremities.
All of the victims had been treated and released from the hospital later on Sunday morning, NBC News reported.
Business owners in the area expressed fear and outrage over the mass shooting but said it wasn’t unexpected given escalating crime in the city.
One bar owner on the street where the shootings occurred said she thought her employees needed counseling after witnessing the mass shooting.
Lindsey Swadner, owner of The Hub, a bar at 12th and Main, wants her bartenders to get mental health help following mass shooting on Main in OTR. Vice Mayor @KearneyForCincy assured her the city would help. @Enquirer @ckpj99 @SharonCoolidge pic.twitter.com/CFHX11pzfF
— Liz Dufour (@ldufour) August 7, 2022
One neighbor posted terrifying video from his security camera that captured the chaotic scene as people ran screaming while gunfire erupted in the background.
Camera footage from our house in OTR during last night’s mass shooting. When is @CincyPD going to take the violence in OTR seriously? @OTRCINCY @WLWT pic.twitter.com/rEk4BHTDZJ
— Matt Euson (@MattEuson) August 7, 2022
Police do not yet have any suspects in custody, NBC News reported.
#DEVELOPING in Cincinnati: Cleanup underway in OTR. Police confirm at least 9 people injured in a shooting. They say none of the injuries are critical. We know police shot at a suspected shooter, but it’s not clear if that person was hit. No arrests have been made yet. @10TV pic.twitter.com/g7xq9Meg5b
— Kiona Dyches 10TV (@kiona_dyches) August 7, 2022
Lt. Col. John said multiple agencies were working together to identify and arrest the shooter or shooters and asked that anyone with information or video footage from the scene please contact the Cincinnati police.
Holly Matkin
