Witnesses speak, video released after 25 injured

Lina PortmanJune 3, 2024

0 2 minutes read

An anniversary celebration ended in a mass shooting that left one person dead and 25 injured, two of them seriously, in Akron, Ohio, over the weekend, and police offered a reward of $22,500 to try to piece together what happened.

A neighbor's doorbell camera and witness accounts detailed the chaotic scene when shots rang out at an outdoor party that had been broken up by police earlier Saturday night.

“Our city is in shock after the devastation of senseless violence,” Akron Mayor Shammas Malik and Police Chief Brian Harding said in a joint statement Sunday. “With more than two dozen victims, the pain and trauma reverberates throughout Akron today as we search for answers.”

According to Harding, this is what happened:

Police broke up a large birthday party in Akron around 10 p.m. Saturday night. Harding said there were fireworks and “loud noises.” More than 200 people attended the party and “took to the streets.”
The party resumed shortly after the police left.
After midnight, police began receiving reports of gunshots coming from the same location.

“The scene was littered with spent shell casings,” Harding said at a news conference. “Mainly pistol caliber cartridges.”

According to Harding, the way the shell casings were arranged at the scene is “consistent with someone driving and shooting out of a car.”

Police also believe people at the party may have fired back at the suspect, but officers are unsure if the shooter or his vehicle was hit. Investigators do not know the number of shooters, but believe a rifle was used. Police also recovered two handguns.

More from the scene:” It was crazy ! » Witnesses recount what they saw in Akron mass shooting

Testimonies and neighbor's doorbell camera describe chaotic scene

A doorbell camera captured the shooting. Several gunshots and people's screams can be heard in the background as they flee the scene, while cars speed away.

“You don't expect to go from having fun to having to run for your life,” Joyous Payne, who was at the party, told the Akron Beacon Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Payne, 21, said music was playing, people were dancing aand sang, and no one at the party fought.

“There was no drama,” she said.

But, while everyone was “having fun”, the bullets suddenly started flying and everyone ran away. Some were even trampled, Payne said.

Treasure Bell, 31, another partygoer who spoke to the Akron Beacon Journal, said she saw a man with a bullet hole in his face.

“I can’t believe this all happened,” Payne said. “It was crazy!”

Payne, who recently moved to the area where the party was held, said the people she went to the party with were not among the injured.

Who are the victims ?

A 27-year-old man died in the shooting, reports the Akron Beacon Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. According to a Summa Health spokesperson, he was dead upon arrival at the hospital.

At least two victims are in critical condition and a total of 25 people were injured, according to a press release from the town hall published Sunday evening.

At the news conference, Harding said the victims' ages ranged from 19 to 43, but most were in their 30s.

A reward worth thousands

The city of Akron announced that anyone with information leading to an arrest could receive a reward of up to $22,500.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact the Akron Police Department Detective Bureau at 330-375-2490 or 330-375-2Tip.

Those who wish to remain anonymous do the following:

Call Summit County Crimestoppers at 330-434-COPS.
Text TIPSCO with your tips to 274637.

Julia is a trends reporter for USA TODAY. She has covered a variety of topics, from local business and government in her hometown of Miami to technology and pop culture. You can contact her on LinkedIn or follow her on X, formerly TwitterInstagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz

Lina Portman

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