Teen Killed, 11 Hurt In Ohio Fourth Of July Block Party Gunfire
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Gunfire during a Fourth of July block party left a 17-year-old boy dead and 11 other people injured, Toledo's police chief said.
Hundreds of people were at the party when shooting broke out just after midnight on Monday, said Chief George Kral said.
Most of the victims were teenagers and the youngest was 11, he said. Two people — a 51-year-old and a 19-year-old — were still in critical condition, Kral said.
Police did not know why the shooting started or have any suspects because they weren't getting much cooperation from those at the party, the police chief said. He said it was frustrating there were hundreds at the party but few people willing to give information.
"We should be angry. We need to come together as a community," he said.
Police first responded to the party after receiving a call about someone shooting a gun in the air and people fighting in the street. Soon after officers arrived, they found several people shooting, Kral said.
Bullets were found in the walls of neighboring houses. Police believe that about 80 rounds were fired, Kral said. No officers fired their weapons, he said.
Kenny Smith told The Blade that his relatives host the annual Independence Day party and that it's normally a family-friendly gathering. He said no one in his family knows who started shooting and he wasn't sure whether it began before or after the police arrived because "everything went so crazy."
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