Cleveland Rocked by Gunfire After 1 Killed, 13 Hurt in 3 Separate Shootings

Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb slammed Ohio Republican lawmakers over the state's permitless carry law after one person was killed and 13 other injured in three separate shootings in his city in one night.

The Democratic mayor, in an online statement, blamed the early Sunday morning gun violence on the law, which took effect last year and made Ohio the 23rd state to allow citizens over the age of 21 to carry a concealed handgun without a permit.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, three separate shooting incidents erupted across the Northeast Ohio city, according to local police and media reports. The first, resulted in three men being hospitalized for their injuries, cleveland.com reported. Shortly after, nine people were shot after a gunman fired into the crowd at the city's popular Warehouse District, according to Cleveland Police. The third left one person dead and another hospitalized for injuries, Fox 8 Cleveland reported.

Newsweek reached out via email to Bibb and Cleveland Police for comment.

The violence began on the 2500 block of W. 6th Street in the city's Tremont neighborhood, resulting in three men suffering multiple gunshot wounds, Cleveland Police told local media.

All three victims were taken to MetroHealth Medical Center, cleveland.com reported. The incident is under investigation, police told the outlet.

Shortly after, at roughly 2:25 a.m., Cleveland Police Chief Wayne Drummond said during a news conference on Sunday that a person "started shooting at a crowd of people" despite visible police presence. The mass shooting, happened in Cleveland's historic Warehouse District, a local hotspot filled with bars, restaurants and clubs.

"We have officers assigned here at that particular time, as patrons were coming out at different nightclubs," he said. "We had two officers actually in their cars, their marked cars, right the corner there of W. St. Clair and W. 6th. Marked cars, officers in uniform, their light bars and lights are going."

Drummond said investigators have few details of the suspect, who managed to flee and remains at large, other than the gunman was a black male with what appeared to be a "gold grill" in his mouth.

The nine victims, seven males and two females ranging from ages 23 to 38 years old, were transported to MetroHealth Medical Center with non-fatal injuries, Drummond said during the news briefing, which the department also streamed live on its Facebook page.

Drummond said the mass shooting is currently under investigation and he urged anyone with information regarding the shooting to contact Cleveland Police. Anonymous tips can be provided, and a reward of up to $5,000 may be available, by contacting Crimestoppers.

The third wave of gun violence happened roughly seven miles across the city. At approximately 3:20 a.m., police confirmed to Fox 8 Cleveland that two people were shot on E. 112th Street and Benham Avenue. One of the victims was killed in the shooting and the other was taken to the hospital, according to the local outlet. No other details were immediately available.

Bibb, during the press conference on the Warehouse District mass shooting, referred to the violence as a "tragic and sad day." He said the incident "truly shows the massive gun problem we have, not just in Cleveland, not just in Ohio, but across this nation."

"I am sick and tired of getting these calls late at night," the mayor said. "I am sick and tired of hearing from our residents and victims of gun violence, and Republicans blaming us as mayors for violent crime. We need their help."

So far this year, there have been 368 mass shootings in the U.S., according to the Gun Violence Archive, which tracks shootings where four or more people are killed or injured, excluding the shooter.

Cleveland, according to local media, has been plagued by gun violence this summer with more than 30 people being shot in just over a week. The previous weekend, 17 people were injured in multiple different shootings, cleveland.com reported.

Bibb blamed state Republicans for the spike in shootings in Cleveland, saying that because of the state's permitless carry law, mayors are unable to pass local gun-reform measures.

"We continue to see an uptick in shootings across our city ever since Republican lawmakers passed Senate Bill 215 last year allowing permitless carry," Bibb said. "It's important we recognize this and hold these lawmakers accountable for passing dangerous gun laws in our state. As a result, mayors cannot pass one piece of legislation aimed at gun reform. Unfortunately, we likely will continue to see incidents like this occur unless change is made at the Statehouse."