CLEVELAND (WJW) — The FOX 8 I-Team has obtained video of a wild shootout in The Flats, with bullets skipping into the Cuyahoga River near a high school rowing team.
Gunfire ripped through the morning air at about 7 a.m. on a Saturday in August.
Now, we’ve uncovered the video showing what happened and a growing investigation surrounding it.
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You see bullets fly through the morning air just as a high school rowing team is coming up the Cuyahoga River. Gunshots can be seen hitting water and coming very close to the teens passing by on what should be a quiet Saturday morning.
The I-Team submitted public record requests for video, 911 calls, police reports and more.
“There was at least 30-35 shots fired,” one 911 caller said. He said the shooting took place close to Center Street.
A witness who lives near where the shooting took place said he thought he heard about 60 gunshots.
“I live on the west bank of the Flats,” the man said. “I have co-workers ask me if it is safe to move downtown. I can’t in good conscience recommend that to anybody.”
The I-Team recently tried to take a closer look at crime statistics, and we requested records of the most serious crimes just for downtown. The city did not send us statistics to compare crimes from year to year. Instead, the city sent 253 pages listing police report numbers for the last three years.
Police body camera video captured a woman with a victim of the shootout. The gunfire left one person dead.
Cleveland police did arrest a man shortly after the shooting, but the Cuyahoga County prosecutor first ruled the case a matter of self-defense, so the charge was dismissed. But now prosecutors are reviewing the case a second time, telling us the matter is still under investigation.
A spokesperson for the school rowing team sent us the following statement. We are not naming the school, since the students are witnesses.
Two boats of our fleet were on the water at the time, one of which could see the events unfold from a distance. Coaches immediately relocated the team away from the area to ensure everyone’s safety. None of our athletes or coaches were hurt.
In response to the incident, we worked with the Cleveland Police Department and the Foundry to ensure the continued safety of our team. We appreciate the Foundry’s safety procedures as we continue to practice there, and we are grateful for the professionalism and leadership of our experienced coaching staff.
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In the meantime, Tyler Sinclair, communications strategist for Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, released a statement on the incident:
We understand that lived experiences can significantly affect opinions and empathize with those individuals’ perceptions of reality. At the same time, we have also heard from residents who feel differently – including longtime suburban residents who, recently, actually chose to move to the City of Cleveland stating they think it’s a great place to live with so many good things and feel very lucky to be here.
It’s important to be mindful that not all lived experiences are the same and to ground perception in objectivity. We understand that some individuals may not be aware of statistics and data proving that the City has seen some of the lowest crime levels this year in recent memory and encourage them to explore beyond what they may read or watch online by going to our Open Data portal to obtain factual information firsthand directly from the source.
That being said, there is always room for improvement and more work to be done — which is what our Division of Police, Department of Public Safety, and other partners are doing every single day to make our community safe.
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