AKRON, Ohio — The Akron Police Department is investigating a shooting that happened early Friday morning and left a security guard at a bar injured.
According to police, it happened just after midnight at Status 8 in the 300 block of Paul Williams Street.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found the security guard, later identified as a 35-year-old woman, had been shot. Police said officers gave the woman first aid until EMS arrived and took her to a nearby hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
Police said a preliminary investigation shows that the security guard was confronted by two women and a man who had been escorted out of the bar.
When they tried to get back inside, the security guard used pepper spray. Shortly after, someone in a silver sedan fired a shot that struck the guard in the leg and then drove off.
"At least one of these individuals had been removed or kicked out of the bar, so this may have just been a retaliatory type of incident where someone that was upset that they were removed and felt a certain type of way not being able to get back in," said Akron Police Lt. Michael Murphy. "So we don't believe that this is a bigger issue for downtown, or that residents need to be concerned with coming downtown."
Detectives are working to find the suspects.
"Akron police are reviewing surveillance cameras in the area, combing through the footage, hoping to find video of witnesses, suspects, and that getaway vehicle," Murphy said.
Downtown Akron resident James Gydosh called the shooting scary and is relieved the security guard survived.
"I live a couple streets away from here. I got kids, so that's actually terrifying that somebody took something so little as just being thrown out of an establishment and doing something like that," Gydosh said.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Akron Police Department’s detective bureau at 330-375-2490 or Crime Stoppers at 330-434-COPS.
