By Emma Tucker and Danya Gainor, CNN
Police are searching for suspects after eight people were shot near the Old West End Festival in Toledo, Ohio, authorities said Saturday.
Photo: CNN / WTOL
Police are searching for suspects after at least 12 people were shot near the Old West End Festival in Toledo, Ohio, authorities said Saturday.
Officers responded to the scene around 5.30pm local time, the Toledo Police Department said.
It is believed eight people were shot and they are all expected to survive, Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz told CNN affiliate WTOL. Toledo police said earlier “many victims” had been transported to nearby hospitals for treatment.
Police are asking people to avoid the area as they conduct their investigation. A significant presence of officers remains at the scene.
Kevin Berry said he was sitting in the neighbourhood arboretum listening to live music with friends when he heard a handful of gunshots ring out, he told The Associated Press.
“Everybody hit the deck,” he said.
When he looked back up, he saw a gun being tossed to the ground less than 50 feet away from him and officers who were already at the festival rushed to the scene, the AP reported.
Berry, who said he has medical training and served in the US Navy, told the AP he saw at least five people with gunshot wounds.
I am deeply concerned about the situation in Toledo tonight. Summer festivals should be safe spaces for families to spend time together without fear of violence. Fran and I are praying for everyone impacted by the incident at the Old West End Festival, and we are confident that…
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) June 6, 2026
The shooting at the Old West End Festival turned a community celebration into another episode in a distinctly American pattern of public violence, where festivals, dinners and graduation ceremonies have given way to gunfire.
“Summer festivals should be safe spaces for families to spend time together without fear of violence,” Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said on X. “We are confident that law enforcement will locate the suspects involved in this senseless crime.”
The neighbourhood’s historic streets, now a crime scene, are scattered with abandoned sneakers, plastic cups and toppled coolers left behind in the chaos. The belongings are those of people who went out to share a drink and good music with friends before they were forced to run for cover.
The shooting is one of at least 170 mass shootings in the US this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more victims are shot.
Two festivalgoers said they heard multiple shots and saw panic break out, describing the scene as “pandemonium,” they told CNN affiliate WTOL.
“Once I heard, ‘Everybody get back,’ everybody was falling, everybody tripping, couldn’t see what it was, couldn’t see nothing,” said one man who asked to remain anonymous.
Another man he was with, who also asked to remain anonymous, told WTOL he heard at least 10 shots fired.
CNN has reached out to Toledo police for more information.
The Old West End Festival is an annual two-day event in the city’s historic district, with one of the largest neighbourhoods of Victorian houses in the country. The event had been scheduled to kick off with a parade Saturday morning and features live music and food markets.
– CNN