CLEVELAND — Less than 48 hours after a shooting at Public Square following the WinterLand tree lighting ceremony injured two teenagers, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and Police Chief Wayne Drummond addressed the incident during a sit-down interview with 3News Anchor and Managing Editor Russ Mitchell.
A 13-year-old and 15-year-old were taken to MetroHealth Medical Center and are in stable condition, Cleveland City Council President Blain Griffin told 3News on Monday. Meanwhile, a pair of 17-year-olds were arrested and charged with gun-related crimes. Neither teen was has been charged for the shooting itself, one of them has been cleared of any involvement.
When asked for a reaction about the shooting, both Bibb and Drummond wondered aloud where the parents of those involved in the incident were.
"Where were the parents? Our administration with our federal and state partners are working around the clock to keep Cleveland safe," Bibb stated. "We have a major issue with the flow of illegal guns coming into our city and getting in the hands of juvenilles. There is no reason why a 12, 13, or 14-year-old should have a gun in our city. We need parents, caregivers, and other community leaders to help us step up.
"The kids that are down there, unsupervised, is a problem for me," Drummond added. "It's problematic. I'd like to know where the parents are in this."
So what would Cleveland's mayor and top police officer say to residents who are afraid to come downtown?
"We are putting more resources than we have ever put before to make sure not just downtown is safe, but Cleveland is safe," Bibb answered. "From the increase in police pay, to the efforts we're making around increasing cadet pay for new recruits, to the nearly 3,000 cameras we have now registered all across the city and in downtown to keep a watchful eye on what's happening in the city. We believe that we are making the right strides and we're going to continue to tackle this issue head on as an administration"
Drummond pointed to the investments the city has made to improve police pay, but added that the Cleveland Divison of Police continues to be in partnership with the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office and its downtown patrol. The division is also working with "other federal, local, and state partners to make sure we have a strong presence, not only in the downtown area, but throughout the city of Cleveland," the chief added.
Bibb spoke to Mitchell as wraps up his second year in office as the mayor of Cleveland. "It feels a lot longer than two years," he told Mitchell. "But it's been an exciting two years. I'm excited for the next half of my first term."
What is he most proud of in his first two years as Cleveland mayor?
"I think we as an adminstration have given Clevelanders a renewed sense of hope and optimism about what our potential can be as a city," he said. "If there's anything I want to be remembered for as mayor, it's being a mayor who wasn't afraid to make big bets."
You can watch the full interview between Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and Russ Mitchell in the player below:
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