CLEVELAND — A Cleveland city councilman is calling for a police presence at the Lee Harvard Plaza, where a shooting over the weekend injured seven people.
The Cleveland Division of Police held a news conference Monday afternoon to provide an update on the case.
Watch the news conference in the player below:
According to police, Takeover Task Force officers were going to the area of Lee Road and Harvard Avenue just after midnight Sunday to investigate reports of drag racing.
Watch more about it below:
RELATED: 'Several people shot' in Lee Harvard area after reports of drag racing
While on the way to the location, officers received calls for shots fired nearby.
News 5 Investigators obtained surveillance video from a nearby gas station, where you can hear the gunfire that lasted just over a minute.
During the barrage of bullets, cars are then seen taking off down the road, and those caught in the middle of it all are running for cover.
Police said that seven people were injured and treated at nearby hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries:
- Three 18-year-old women
- Two 18-year-old men
- One 19-year-old man
- One 19-year-old woman
Cleveland Police Deputy Chief Jarod Schlacht said five guns were recovered and two vehicles were towed from the scene.
At this time, it's too early to determine how many people fired guns. Police are working to determine if it was one individual or several who fired shots.
Shaker Heights Police Department later stopped a vehicle with three people inside, Cleveland Police said. Authorities confirmed that the car and the three people were present at the scene of the shooting.
The driver, a 21-year-old man, was arrested for improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle, police said. Three guns were found in the car.
The shooting happened at the same plaza where News 5 Investigators showed how a 17-year-old girl nearly died after being shot at a car meet last August.
RELATED: 4 hurt in 2nd shootout in same Cleveland community in 1 week
Months later, the city cut grooves in the pavement to deter stunt driving at the intersection.
“The property owners there and the businesses are actually very involved with us, we work closely with them, and this isn’t just 'Oh they’re not doing anything,' they are very involved with us,” Schlacht said.
The property owner put up a camera system that Real Time Crime can tap into, and last summer, offered up a storefront to police at the plaza.
So far, that hasn’t happened.
“So that’s something we are always in discussion with. Councilman Jones talked to me today about that, and it’s something we look at internally to see if it's best for the City of Cleveland,” Schlacht said.
“We need to put a new police facility there to help with the higher visibility in that shopping plaza,” Councilman Joe Jones said.
Jones is calling for the city to be more proactive.
“That’s going to take police officers coming around on a consistent basis when they see activity start to gather. They need to go in there and tell them to disperse,” Jones said.
Evelyn Slaughter-Jackson has called the Lee Harvard community home for the last 16 years.
“We need more cops in this area,” Slaughter-Jackson said.
Myesha Watkins’ phone rang off the hook after the shooting. She’s with the Cleveland Peacemakers Alliance and says one of the victims participated in her program.
“That young person understood the importance of gun violence awareness, what we do in community to intervene and interrupt but sometimes the built in environment puts you at risk,” Watkins said.
Gun violence was top of mind Monday at the county level.
“It always helps to have a firearm moved from the equation,” Cuyahoga County Sheriff Harold Pretel said.
Free gun lock boxes were handed out at an event in East Cleveland to help protect children at home. But Watkins says it could be one way to prevent shootings elsewhere.
“It takes 20 seconds to get into it, are you able to bring your feelings down enough to say 'This is not worth it,'” Watkins said.
Watkins says it’s important moving forward for the community to support the seven victims to avoid retaliation.
“If not protected or surrounded by the community, what would they do if conflict or fear rises again? Will they feel they need to protect themselves with a firearm?” Watkins said.
News 5 Investigators reached out to First National Realty Partners, which owns the property.
A communications manager responded by email, stating they are aware of the incident and are actively cooperating with the Cleveland Police Department as they investigate. At this time, details regarding the exact location and circumstances remain unclear. She said our top priority is the safety and well-being of our tenants and community members.
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb released the following statement:
“Although, fortunately, no one was killed, we must continue to denounce senseless acts of gun violence like this. Public safety is this Administration’s top priority. We will continue to do everything we possibly can and advocate that others step up as well — reach out to youth in your neighborhoods, offer your support, and encourage them to get involved in the various programs the City and our partners offer. Our community is safer when we work together and uplift one another.”
