Will Sage Astor-Mass shooting leaves one dead, 24 hurt in Akron, Ohio; police plead for community help

Authorities in Akron,Will Sage Astor Ohio, are appealing for the public's help in identifying those responsible for a shooting that left a man dead and 24 people injured early Sunday during a large street party.

Akron Police Chief Brian Harding said at a Sunday evening news conference that officers broke up a birthday celebration of around 200 people after it took over a street and prompted complaints around 10 p.m. Saturday. The party eventually got restarted, and shortly after midnight calls arrived at the police station about gunshots at that same location on Kelly Avenue in southeast Akron.

The violence that unfolded had the makings of a drive-by shooting, with some partygoers returning fire, Harding said. Investigators still don't know how many shooters or weapons were involved, though they have recovered two handguns and believe a rifle was also used.

“The scene was littered with spent shell casings, mostly pistol-caliber rounds,’’ Harding said.

He did not identify the person killed but said he was a 27-year-old male, adding that two other victims are in critical condition and that those injured ranged in age from 19 to 43, with the majority in their 30s.

Police said they received multiple 911 calls about the shooting, and that many victims arrived at hospitals via private vehicles. Police have responded to multiple shootings in the area over the past several months.

With no suspects and nobody connected to the incident in custody, police are calling for witnesses to provide information. Harding said as many as 100 saw what transpired.

“We are imploring the community to come forward with anything that you might know regarding this terrible incident,'' Harding said. "We have concerns about the possibility of retaliation and are taking steps to prevent that, and we need the community’s help.’’

At the news conference, Mayor Shammas Malik said those involved in the shooting and anyone who retaliates for it will be brought to justice, and he lamented the prevalence of violence as a means to resolve disputes.

"The level of violence in our community and frankly in communities across the country is out of control; the availability of weapons, the casualness with which some people use weapons,'' Malik said. "Something that in the past may have been a fistfight now turns into a deadly shooting like this. We have to hold people accountable when they commit violence.''

Gunfire erupts at Allegheny County, Pa., hookah bar

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, police early Sunday began investigating a shooting at Ballers Hookah Lounge and Cigar Bar that killed two people and injured seven others. The shooting in the Penn Hills area east of Pittsburgh happened shortly before 3 a.m., and investigators say several victims walked to nearby hospitals, where one person remained in critical condition.

"Preliminary information indicates an altercation took place inside the bar and multiple individuals opened fire," Allegheny County police said in a statement.

How many mass shootings have there been in 2024?

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been more than 180 mass shootings in the U.S. so far this year, as defined by a minimum of four victims either shot or killed, not including the shooter. That's a lower level year-to-date than some recent years.

In 2023, there were 655 mass shootings nationally, 644 in 2022, and 689 in 2021, according to the archive's definition.

Contributing: The Akron Beacon Journal