COLUMBUS, Ohio — As Columbus police officers continue to work to find whoever opened fire in the Short North early Sunday morning, injuring 10 people, city officials are echoing the department’s call for the community to step up.
Emmanuel Remy, Columbus City Councilmember and Public Safety & Criminal Justice committee chair, said what occurred in the Short North over the weekend is unacceptable. He said he was stunned to learn this weekend’s mass shooting marks the 12th mass shooting for the city since the start of 2023.
"Oh my God. I mean the numbers are staggering,” Remy said.
Remy said its clear where the blame should be placed for the gun violence happening in the city.
"People at the statehouse have made it explicitly easy to get guns in this community, in this state, and so this is the result,” Remy said.
Columbus Police Asst. Chief LaShanna Potts said the problem is also a lack of de-escalation.
"People are shooting each other over small arguments that could be settled if somebody just chose to walk away,” Potts said.
Potts and Remy both said there’s nothing more police can do to prevent these incidents, which is why they’re calling on the community and parents to step up.
"We had officers almost on every corner in the Short North, at a time where the clubs are closing, people still decided to shoot at each other,” Potts said.
Last summer, the city implemented a curfew in the Short North as well as other restrictions as a way to crack down on the violence. As the violence seems to once again be ramping up, Remy said nothing is off the table.
"We're looking at every option that's available, whether that's traffic control, whether its curfews, whatever its going to take to make sure that people understand these are our streets and not a bunch of riff raff that's out there,” Remy said.
Despite the violence, city officials continue to maintain that the city is safe, and want families to keep enjoying all that it has to offer, including events like Red, White, and Boom coming up next week.
"I think everyone feels like they need to be aware, but we are continuously holding large events without incident,” Remy said.
"Columbus is safe. The business community in the short north is safe. We encourage our citizens to continue to do what they've done all summer and all winter,” Potts said.
Police are asking anyone with photos, videos, or information to contact them or Crime Stoppers. The ATF is also offering a $10,000 reward for any information that leads to arrests of any additional suspects involved in this incident.