CLEVELAND — Cleveland Metroparks Police are investigating a deadly shooting at Euclid Beach.
Cleveland Metroparks told News 5 police responded to a report of a group of people and shots fired at Euclid Beach after park hours around 12:40 a.m. Thursday.
Cleveland Metroparks said a 20-year-old man, who has now been identified as Christopher Harris, was shot and taken to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
A second person was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police said they are currently interviewing six to eight people who were at the scene.
The crime scene stretches from the entrance of the pier to a nearby apartment complex.
Chief Kelly Stillman says this kind of violence is out of the ordinary, they usually deal with minor issues for this park, and reminds the public that the area is still safe.
There are no new measures in place preventing people from coming to the park after hours, but if violations occur, citations can be issued.
"At 11 o'clock, pack up and go," Stillman said.
The park was closed this morning and early afternoon, but is now open.
This is the second deadly shooting after hours at a Metropark in the last 22 days:
RELATED: Woman shot and killed in Cleveland Metroparks; 23-year-old arrested
Both incidents occurred when the park was closed, but neighbors told News 5 that the hours of operation don't prevent trouble from happening at night.
“You’ve got to watch yourself. There’s a lot of young teenagers down here messing with people,” said Ken Russ.
He said he walks the paths at Euclid Beach Park multiple days a week and would like to see more police presence.
“They’ve got enough Metro[parks] police. They need to get out of their cars, walk the beat,” he said.
Stillman said his officers routinely patrol all parks and issue citations to people out after hours. But he explained that parks with fishing are required to remain accessible to anglers 24 hours a day.
Over the holiday weekend, Stillman said there will be more patrols at the parks.
“We have everybody working," he said. "We have the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office assisting at Edgewater. You will see a boatload of policemen.”
He added that the agency is looking into new technologies to help prevent and respond to violence, but reiterated that Cleveland's parks remain safe.
“I want to stress these [incidents] are extremely rare, but also a terrible reality in today’s society,” Stillman said.
Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County is offering a $5,000 reward for tips leading to the arrest of the homicide suspect. Anyone with information can leave an anonymous tip at 216-252-7463.
