COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther called the shooting that happened in the Short North early Sunday morning “outrageous” and “unacceptable.”
Ten people were shot just before 2:30 a.m. in the 1100 block of North High Street, between Standard Hall and Michael’s Goody Boy. Two of the victims were teenagers, Columbus police told 10TV at the scene.
Police said a man was listed in critical condition and the other shooting victims were described as stable.
At least one building in the area had its window broken during the incident.
The suspect drove away from the scene in a white Honda Civic with tinted windows and evaded police when they attempted to stop him. A man turned himself in to police Sunday evening and identified himself as the driver of the Honda Civic that police were searching for.
Ginther released a statement to social media Sunday morning, expressing his outrage for the gun violence and urging community members to step forward with tips and information.
He also called on parents to step up, ensuring they know where their kids are, and to set curfews in their homes.
Ginther reassured community members, saying the Short North is safe despite what happened, but every neighborhood could be safer.
Read his full statement below:
"The gun violence that occurred early this morning in the Short North is outrageous, it's unacceptable, and it must stop. Despite what happened, I want to reassure the community that the Short North is safe, but every neighborhood could be safer. Out officers are doing their best to protect our families, but they can't shoulder the burden on their own. Collaboratively, we can and must do better. We need the community to step up with tips and information to hold the perpetrators of this shooting accountable. We need parents to step up - to know where their kids and teens are, and to enforce a curfew in their homes. And we need the state and federal governments to step up to keep guns off the streets and out of the hands of violent criminals. If they don't have the courage to do it, then they need to get out of our way and let us act. Our community demands and deserves better."
Other city leaders, like Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein, commented on the shooting as well calling it "tragic" and "unacceptable."
"We're all tired of waking up to texts and reports of shootings in our neighborhoods. While police are still gathering information on this incident, we cannot sit back or become numb to the presence of violence in our city," Klein's statement read. "We must continue to invest in people so they don't see guns as a normal form of conflict resolution. We must continue to support police and prosecutors' efforts to get violent individuals off the streets and behind bars for a long time. And we must continue to push the politicians in power to change our gun laws so that these deadly weapons aren't so easily accessed by teens and dangerous individuals who have no regard for human life. We must do everything we can to protect public safety and keep our residents, businesses, and neighborhoods safe from more senseless violence."
Columbus Division of Police Chief Elaine Bryant released a statement Sunday evening and called the shooting "deeply concerning and completely unacceptable." Read her statement in part below:
"The shooting that took place early this morning in the Short North that injured 10 individuals, including two young men under the age of 18, is deeply concerning and completely unacceptable. Whether it was the recent East 5th Avenue and Summit Street incident or last week's Avalon dance club shooting our mission has remained the same. We will continue to aggressively address and combat gun violence in our city.
...The Columbus Division of Police is committed to diligently investigating any and all crimes that occur throughout the city of Columbus. We want every neighborhood to be a safe place to work, live and play."