CLEVELAND — Five people were wounded, with one in critical condition, after a shooting at a Cleveland barbershop on Thursday afternoon.
The Cleveland Division of Police reports the incident took place at the IFIXUGLY barbershop located at 4497 State Road. Reports indicate that a man entered the shop and began firing at people inside. The suspect then fled the area in a red, four-door vehicle.
Detectives are also investigating if shots were fired in response by someone inside of the shop.
Police say four men ranging in age from 19 to 34 and a 29-year-old female suffered gunshot wounds. While four are expected to survive, one of the five victims was shot in the chest and is in critical condition. All were taken to MetroHealth Medical Center.
Tim Gillespie is the owner of the barbershop and was there when the gunfire rang out.
"I'm praying for everyone involved, because to be that evil to do something like that, you need God. It was cold-blooded."
He said the shooters were targeting three men who came into his shop asking for walk-in service shortly before it happened. Two of the victims who are expected to recover were employees at the shop.
"IFIXUGLY is a family barbershop, people come here with their kids daily. Imagine that, imagine if my son, my 16-year-old who had just gotten out of school, he's in there horseplaying with me and the barbers. Imagine if my son would have been in there," Gillespie added.
Many neighbors and friends of the shop told 3News they are frustrated that this happened and don't want it to hurt Gillespie's business, or his reputation for giving back to the community.
"He's (Gillespie) a pillar of this community, he helps people all the time, he gives free hair cuts, he gives shoes to kids, he does whatever he can," John McGinnis said.
Gillespie said the gunmen appeared young. He had a message for them and others who choose to turn to gun violence.
"Life's too short, life's too precious, gun violence ain't the answer man. There's too much of it in our city, gun violence is not the answer man, somebody could have died," Gillespie said.
He said the shop will bounce back, confident in support from the community and the motto that he built his brand on.
"We'll continue to be positive over here, we'll continue to operate off of love and peace. IFIXUGLY is not a bad barbershop," Gillespie said.
In a statement, Cleveland City Councilman Kris Harsh of Ward 13 told 3News: "I am very troubled by the shooting at a barber shop in ward 13. I have been in communication with Second District police and I am working on a path forward that puts neighborhood safety first. This type of behavior is unacceptable and not reflective of the thousands of good people who call our community home."
No arrests have been made. The investigation is continuing. If anyone has any information on the shooting, please call the Cleveland Division of Police at 216-621-1234. You can also provide tips anonymously by calling Crimestoppers at 216-25-CRIME.
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