TOLEDO, Ohio — A peaceful afternoon of live music, food vendors, house tours, and good vibes at the historic Old West End Festival turned into a nightmare Saturday when at least a dozen people, including a 14-year-old, were gunned down in an apparent shootout between two trigger-happy thugs.
Gunfire erupted around 5:37 p.m. near the intersection of Delaware and Glenwood avenues, right by the popular two-day street festival that draws thousands to one of the city's largest historic districts. Cops say it looks like two shooters opened fire on each other, and innocent bystanders paid the price.
Twelve victims ranging in age from 14 to 61 were rushed to hospitals. Two were critically wounded, but all are expected to survive, authorities said.
Horrifying video from the scene shows panicked festival-goers diving for cover, people screaming and lying on the ground as heroic bystanders and first responders rush in to help. Emergency vehicles swarmed the area as roads were shut down and a massive manhunt kicked off.
No suspects are in custody. Toledo police are poring over witness statements, victim interviews, and plenty of cellphone video, and they're begging the public for more.
"Toledo Police officers responded to a report of a person shot... Upon arrival, officers discovered multiple shooting victims," the department said in a statement. "The Toledo Police Department is actively searching for the suspect or suspects involved."
The 53rd annual Old West End Festival, billed as the "biggest party of the year" with a King Wamba Carnival Parade, beer garden, and Victorian home tours, was thrown into chaos. Festival activities were canceled as cops locked down the scene.
Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz called the bloodshed "senseless" and said it shouldn't be accepted as normal. "What happened today at the Old West End Festival, sadly, has happened in too many American cities," he said. "But we should never shrug our shoulders."
As of Sunday morning, the investigation remains active with multiple crime scenes being processed. Police urged anyone with information or video to come forward immediately.
The victims' ages span from kids to seniors, and have shocked the community, turning what should have been a family celebration into another grim headline in America's ongoing gun violence epidemic.
Cops are still hunting the cowards responsible.
