AKRON, Ohio — An apartment complex on Sherman Street became a scene of trauma, gunshots, and fear for the community.
Just before 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, Akron officers responded to a call to check the welfare of a teen on Grant Street. While on scene, officers reportedly heard gunshots nearby.
RELATED: Officer injured after shooting in Akron
"When they exited their vehicle, they saw a suspect running from the residence, the apartment building there. [They] had a brief encounter with him. The suspect fired shots at the officers and the officers returned fire," Lieutenant Michael Murphy of the Akron Police Department said on Monday.
Akron Police Chief Brian Harding said the officers involved tried to take cover behind a vehicle. It was during that time that one of the officers was injured.
"It's a very minor leg injury at that point. He was treated at the scene," Chief Harding said. However, the injury is not the cause of gunfire. "Our two officers: one has a year on, one has two years on, are running at this dangerous situation and really quickly returning gunfire after they're being shot at. I really think what they did was pretty heroic."
Both officers are on paid administrative leave as the Akron Police Department internally investigates.
Not only was an officer injured, but also a bystander. She was reportedly shot in the leg.
"The timing of this was very coincidental. The officers heard the shots fired and at or around that same time, the victim, the 27-year-old female, actually called in and reported that she had been shot. We were able to find her and locate her, get her treatment as the officers were responding to the shots fired call," Murphy explained.
Officials are working to determine who wounded the bystander, but can confirm it was not by an Akron officer.
The bystander's injuries are non-life-threatening, according to APD.
Akron Police say more than a dozen shell casings and a firearm were recovered from the scene.
Cody Greene lives in the apartment complex where a portion of the shooting took place. He claims he heard 10 to 15 rounds of gunfire.
"20 police cars were blocking the intersections of all the other streets and they were running back and forth with Call of Duty guns," Greene said.
A 33-year-old male was initially apprehended, but the preliminary investigation reveals he was not the one who unloaded a weapon on officers.
"Detectives learned that he (the 33-year-old suspect) was involved in the events leading up to the shooting and did fire a weapon during the earlier altercation," APD said.
The primary suspect, a 45-year-old male, was arrested at approximately 12:15 p.m. by Anti-Violence Bureau and Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force detectives on Monday. He now faces three counts of Felonious Assault.
The 33-year-old has not been charged as of Monday, said Murphy.
Greene described the area as quiet and last weekend's shooting as abnormal and worrisome.
"It's unfortunate. You can't stop stuff like this from happening," he said. "I was just glad my kids were at their grandparents last night."
Akron Police are still in the early stages of the investigation, but the department plans to release additional information as it becomes available.
