Police searching for at least 2 gunmen after 9 injured in Cincinnati shooting

By Zenebou Sylla and Samantha Beech, CNN

Authorities are searching for at least two gunmen after nine people were injured in a shooting in downtown Cincinnati early Sunday, police said.

The shooting in the city’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood occurred shortly before 2 a.m., when more than a dozen shots were fired into a large crowd after two separate groups were involved in a “physical altercation,” Assistant Police Chief Michael John of the Cincinnati Police Department said at a news conference Sunday.

Nine gunshot victims — eight men and one woman — were taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries, John said. The victims’ ages range from 23 to 47.

One Cincinnati police officer identified as Joe Shook was on scene at the time and shot at one suspect, John said, but it’s unclear whether that suspected gunman was hit. More shots were fired after the first shooter fled, he said, so police believe at least two gunmen are on the run.

“There is no question that the actions of Officer Joe Shook and his partner saved lives,” John said.

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval called the shooting “an absolute tragedy.”

“What took place last night is completely and totally unacceptable,” Pureval said. “The gun violence we are seeing in our communities cannot and will not persist, and we will continue to work hard to prevent gun violence in the future.”

Cincinnati council member Scotty Johnson called on any witnesses to come forward. “If you see something, say something,” he said. “It is not snitching, it’s a matter of everybody in Cincinnati being safe and enjoying our great city.”

“We want everybody to come downtown and have a good time, but personal accountability has to trump these ridiculous outlandish beefs that are going on in our city,” Johnson added.

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CNN’s Tina Burnside and Kate Conerly contributed to this report.