EAST CLEVELAND, OH – A series of violent outbursts in East Cleveland, Ohio, resulted in six people suffering gunshot wounds in the early hours of Monday morning. The shootings occurred in close vicinity to a location where hundreds had convened for a high school class reunion.
East Cleveland Acting Police Chief Kenneth D. Lundy reports that officers were dispatched to the crime scene shortly past 1 a.m., finding a man injured by gunfire. As police investigated, they discovered a woman who had been shot multiple times in the same area.
While officers were investigating the initial shooting, more gunfire was detected at a nearby Mobil gas station. As law enforcement responded, they found three more shooting victims. The gunshot victims, aided by police and private vehicles, were taken to the hospital for medical treatment.
A sixth shooting victim was discovered around 2:30 a.m. in a location several blocks from the Mobil gas station. The individual was quickly transported to the hospital. The current conditions of the shooting victims were not reported as of Monday afternoon.
Authorities are still unclear on the motive behind the shootings and are working to ascertain whether the victims had any connection to the class reunion. A reward of $5,000 has been offered for any information that could lead to the arrest of those responsible for the shootings.
Police presence in East Cleveland was lambasted by Twon Billings, the city council president, who argued that the local police force was inadequate to respond to such an incident.