EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — The East Cleveland Police Department investigation of the Labor Day shootings that left six people injured remains ongoing.
The incidents left traumatic memories for the masses of people hanging out at bars and restaurants on Euclid Avenue after the Shaw High School all-class reunion wrapped up early Sunday evening. It was early Monday morning, starting around 1 a.m., that officers were dispatched to three different shootings near the school. Two of the incidents happened on Euclid, while the third occurred on Elwood Road about a half-mile away.
On Wednesday, 3News got an update from East Cleveland police.
"We are still currently investigating this unfortunate incident," Detective Commander Joseph Marche told us. "Interviews are still being conducted, video footage is still being obtained, and we're still working on identifying persons of interest."
East Cleveland City Council Vice President Patricia Blochowiak says more security should have been at the informal late-night celebrations, but she acknowledges the presence of the Ohio State Highway Patrol at the reunion's formally organized picnic earlier in the day at Forest Hill Park.
"The emphasis for the East Cleveland police and the help that we got should have been on Euclid Avenue after dark and not on the Alumni Association picnic, which is (sic) to the best of my knowledge never been a problem," she said. "The assistance that the mayor got should have been aimed at after dark on Euclid and not in the park."
Here's what OSHP spokeswoman Sergeant Bridget Matt said on the matter.
"There were four troopers who patrolled in East Cleveland on Sunday afternoon, 9/1/24, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.," she said in a statement. "No OSHP troopers were present in the City of East Cleveland when the shootings occurred, nor were any OSHP resources requested to assist with the subsequent investigation."
Blochowiak stressed that she blames the city's mayor, Brandon L. King, for holding back the growth of East Cleveland's police department to address the city's violence. The force has been plagued by corruption and misbehavior for years, with the mayor and legislators also involved in several verbal spats.
"Because we don't pay them enough, we don't have enough police to adequately cover East Cleveland," she claimed. "So the situation there is to get our finances in order, and the beginning of that is to have the mayor provide us with the information that he hasn't provided us. For example, he is now eight months behind providing us with monthly finance records. This is required."
Blochowiak further explained that releasing the financial records would tell them whether they have extra money to spend on policing. She also wanted to note her conviction of how the reform of federal and state gun laws would help East Cleveland.
"For example, limiting AK-47s to military," she said. "The other thing we need is a state that will support reasonable laws. For example, limiting concealed carry and requiring training in order to get and carry guns."
In the meantime, with the number of police officers still low, the Ohio State Highway Patrol has been assisting the city with traffic enforcement. On Wednesday, Matt shared that, "Since July 17, troopers have been patrolling and enforcing traffic safety in the City of East Cleveland for several hours multiple times per week, for a total of 111 patrol hours worked to date." She added that the tentative end date of their assistance is Sept. 7.
3News requested comment from King's office regarding the release of financial records and the state of policing in the city. We are waiting to hear back.