TOLEDO, Ohio — At least 12 people were shot Saturday evening near the Old West End Festival in Toledo, Ohio, when at least two gunmen opened fire just after 5:30 p.m. in a crowd of several hundred festivalgoers, city police said. Two of the wounded were in critical condition Saturday night, and the shooters remained at large.
The attack interrupted one of Toledo's signature summer events at the height of its first day and left a wide age range of victims, complicating an investigation that police said was still in its earliest hours.
What police said
Toledo Deputy Police Chief Joseph Heffernan told reporters the gunmen were "probably shooting at each other" rather than targeting the festival itself. Police Lt. Dan Gerken said the oldest victim was 61 and the youngest 14, and that most of the wounded were in their early 20s. Many were taken to nearby hospitals, the department said in a written statement. Officers were canvassing witnesses and reviewing camera footage, Gerken said, and had not yet released a suspect description.
On the ground
The Old West End Festival is a two-day celebration in Toledo's historic district featuring live music, food vendors, a beer garden, home tours and children's events, according to the Associated Press account carried by PBS NewsHour. Heffernan said extra on-duty officers were assigned to the festival, a large number of off-duty officers were working it privately, and the department had deployed "mobile security cameras" around the grounds when the gunfire began.
The Old West End Association said Sunday's festivities would be canceled. "After discussion with festival organizers, law enforcement and the City of Toledo, we feel that it would not be compassionate, responsible or possible to continue [the] festival," the organization said in a statement reported by NBC News.
State response
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said on X that he was "deeply concerned" about the shooting and that he and first lady Fran DeWine were praying for those affected. DeWine said he was confident law enforcement would locate the suspects. Neither the governor's office nor Toledo police had identified the shooters or offered a motive by Saturday night, and the police department did not immediately respond to messages from the Associated Press seeking additional detail.
Still unknown
The reporting available Saturday night was thin. The two wire-and-network accounts that carried the story — PBS NewsHour, relaying the AP, and NBC News — agreed on the basic count, time and location, but neither offered a fuller picture of the shooters, their relationship or what set off the gunfire. No conservative outlet had published an on-scene account by press time, leaving the political framing that often follows mass-casualty shootings — over policing, gun laws or festival security — absent from the day's record. Heffernan declined to speculate on motive, saying only that "a few people, for whatever reasons going through their head, decide to disrupt something that has been a beloved community event for many, many, many years."
Toledo police said they would provide further updates as the investigation progressed. The Old West End Association said it would announce any rescheduled programming once the police inquiry allowed.