Neighbor reacts to West Toledo shooting

TOLEDO, Ohio — West Toledo residents are speaking out against gun violence after a 21-year-old man was shot and killed Monday night at the Palmer Gardens Apartments.

Police say Harenell Hershey, 21, was shot in the head and taken to the hospital with serious injuries shortly before midnight.

Toledo police said the man was involved in an altercation and an investigation was launched to determine what led to the shooting.

While this man fights for his life, the residents of Palmer Gardens Apartments fight to keep their environment safe.

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Kennji Barton, a 27-year-old local resident, said no one wants to go home to yellow tape blocking off a crime scene. Unfortunately, that's what happened to him Monday evening.

He said he was returning home from work and after seeing several police officers, he immediately became afraid for his family and neighbors.

“It's a little shocking. I just got off work last night. I came home, I saw him, a little shocked. I made sure my kids were cool. It's surprising to see that’s how it is here,” Barton said. “I was a little bit very agitated because, again, there are too many kids here, too many kids playing. So for this to happen here really upset me. I want really make this area safe and secure.”

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He described these apartments as normally a quiet place with children playing freely, adding that there is very little crime.

While residents like Barton said they want answers, he also said he believes the incident came from strangers who don't live in Palmer Gardens. Barton ultimately said his neighbors and family were his priority when it came to safety.

“I ran home just to make sure everything was OK,” Barton said. “Everything was cool there, so I stayed outside and made sure the surroundings were okay. I talked to my neighbors. Nobody knew what was going on. But I was just making sure everyone in the neighborhood was fine. Especially the kids we all love the kids here, we all have kids here, so if one of our kids is hurt, all of our kids are hurt too.

Toledo police said the scene of the shooting was very dark, but they are using surveillance footage to help identify a suspect.

They encourage anyone with information about this shooting to come forward and call Crime Stoppers at 419-255-1111.