Police hunt suspect after 12 people shot at family-friendly summer festival

A dozen people were shot and wounded when two gunman started firing at each other at a family-friendly festival in Ohio on Saturday, officials and reports said.

Cops responded to chaos unfolding at the Old West End Festival in Toledo around 5:40 p.m., according to a statement local police shared on X.

In video of the incident, at least 16 shots could be heard ringing out as people screamed and dove for cover.

Police block off the area after the shooting.

Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz originally eight people were shot and left with non-life-threatening wounds, according to WTOL 11 TV.

WDIV later reported that the toll of wounded rose to 12, including two critical. They said the ages of the victims ranged from 61 to 14.

“Everybody hit the deck,” Kevin Berry, who was relaxing in the neighborhood arboretum when he heard the shots, said.

Other horrific footage captured a man who was shot on the side of his torso walking down the street in his blood-soaked white t-shirt.

“Be still, sit down man,” a panicked witness told the victim. “Call the hospital,” another bystander chimed in before the shell-shocked man finally plopped down on the grass to wait for help.

People seen at the festival.facebook/DowntownToledo
Multiple victims were shot near a popular festival as attendees were forced to run for their lives.Facebook

First responders sprinted down the street and frantically wheeled stretchers carrying bloodied festival attendees into ambulances, according to other graphic videos.

Berry claimed he saw a gun being thrown on the ground about 50 feet away from him as cops already working at the festival swarmed the area.

WDIV said that the gunfire came from two gunman who traded shots at each other and then fled the scene. Both still on the loose.

Authorities warned residents to avoid the area as they investigate what happened.

The roads surrounding the annual weekend-long festival have been closed.

The Toledo Police Department referred The Post to its social media accounts when approached for further information.

The suspect fled the scene and is still on the loose, according to police.Facebook/Tito Aguilar
Police officers work at the scene of a shooting near a festival in Toledo, Ohio, on Saturday, June 6, 2026.WTVG via AP

The festival celebrates the Old West End neighborhood, one of the largest historic districts in the country, with live music, food, drinks, art and shopping, according to its website

The Old West End Association, which hosts the event, did not immediately return a request for comment.

 

 

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