At least 12 people were shot Saturday near a busy community street festival in Toledo, Ohio, and a search for the suspects was ongoing, police said. Toledo Police
Deputy Chief Joe Heffernan told reporters that preliminary investigation revealed that there were at least two shooters. All of the people shot are expected to survive, Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz told local media outlet WTOL. Toledo police officers responded to a report of a person shot near the Old West End Festival at about 5.30pm. When they arrived, they found multiple shooting victims, the police department said in a statement. Many victims have been taken to nearby hospitals, police said. Police did not provide further details on the injuries and how many people were shot. Police are actively searching for suspects and the working to determine the circumstances of the shootings. In a statement on X, the Toledo Police Department said: "The Toledo Police Department is actively searching for the suspect or suspects involved. The investigation currently includes scenes in the area of Delaware Avenue and Robinwood Avenue. Residents and visitors are asked to avoid the area and expect a significant police presence as officers continue their search and investigators work to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident."
WATCH: Shots fired at near Old West End Festival in Toledo, Ohio, reports of multiple victims. pic.twitter.com/YNwmEdk2E8
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Toledo Lt. Dan Gerken said he spoke to victims ranging from as young as 14 to 61 years old and urged residents to ask their children what they know about the shooting. "If we get help from the community, it’ll be hopefully sooner than later," Gerken said of the search for the suspects. "There's kids out there that probably know more than all of us standing here."
"Summer festivals should be safe spaces for families to spend time together without fear of violence," Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said on X. "We are confident that law enforcement will locate the suspects involved in this senseless crime."
Kevin Berry said he was sitting in the neighborhood arboretum listening to live music with his friends when he heard a handful of gunshots ring out, according to the Associated Press.
Two festivalgoers said they were enjoying the event when they heard multiple shots and saw panic break out, describing the scene as "pandemonium," they told local media outlet WTOL. "Once I heard, ‘Everybody get back,' everybody was falling, everybody tripping, couldn't see what it was, couldn't see nothing," said one man. Another man he was with told WTOL he heard at least 10 shots fired.
The Old West End Festival is a two-day celebration in Toledo's historic district that includes live music, food vendors, home tours and shopping.
The shooting is one of at least 170 mass shootings in the US this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more victims are shot.
