TOLEDO, Ohio – Police said they are reviewing witness statements, victim interviews, and video evidence as they work to identify those responsible for a shooting that left 12 people wounded near Toledo’s annual Old West End Festival.
Toledo police Lt. Dan Gerken said detectives are in the early stages of a complex investigation and are relying on evidence gathered at the scene and information from the public.
“It’s real early in the investigation,” said Gerken. “We’re talking to multiple people, including victims and witnesses. We’re viewing camera footage.”
Update: Toledo officials urge public to share videos of incident after 12 wounded in festival shooting
Gerken declined to provide descriptions of possible suspects, saying investigators were still reviewing evidence and determining exactly what occurred.
--> Toledo shooting leaves 12 injured, 2 critical at Old West End Festival in Ohio
“As far as who we’re looking for, what we’ve collected and all that so far, that’s for another time,” Gerken said.
Police are urging anyone with information, photos, or videos related to the shooting to contact investigators.
“The main thing is, if you have information, you send it to the police department so we can follow up on it,” Gerken said.
Asked whether any of the wounded individuals could be among the shooters, Gerken said he did not believe that was the case based on the information available to him.
The victims ranged widely in age.
Gerken said the oldest victim he personally spoke with was 61 years old, and the youngest was 14.
“I would say most everybody, if you want an average, I’d say early 20s,” Gerken said.
Police said they are also working to determine precisely how the gunfire unfolded and where the shooters were positioned in relation to the crowd.
Gerken said detectives had only recently obtained video evidence and were still reviewing it.
“We are at the mercy of the evidence and the video that we’re collecting,” Gerken said.
Gerken described the shooting as one of the most significant acts of violence he has witnessed during his career with the department.
“Twelve people being shot, that’s the most I’ve been to a scene,” Gerken said. “I’ve been to a lot of scenes, but this is way over the top.”
Despite the scale of the incident, Gerken expressed confidence in the progress investigators have made during the first few hours of the case.
“I’m feeling good where we’re at as far as what we’ve collected so far,” Gerken said.
However, he emphasized that community cooperation will be critical to identifying and apprehending those responsible.
“Talk to your kids,” Gerken said. “There’s kids out there that probably know more than all of us standing here.”
The investigation remains active.