At least nine people were injured in a mass shooting in downtown Cincinnati early Sunday, police said.
While the shooter was actively shooting, Officer Joe Shook, who has been with the Cincinnati Police Department since 2016, fired, Lt. Col. Mike John said at a news conference. It is unknown if the bullet hit the shooter, he added.
The shooter fled, he said, and no one was in custody.
More shots were fired after the shooter fled, leading police to believe there were at least two shooters, John said at a second news conference Sunday.
Police respond to the scene of a shooting in Cincinatti, Ohio, on August 7, 2022. (WLWT)
None of the victims were “in critical condition, and most of these injuries are lower extremity injuries,” he said.
All nine victims had been released from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center by Sunday morning, hospital spokeswoman Heather Chura Smith told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Chura Smith did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The victims, eight men and one woman, ranged in age from 23 to 47, John said.
The Enquirer reported that police said the shooting began as a physical altercation between two groups.
A representative for the police department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A large crowd that had gathered quickly dispersed after officers deployed “two explosive balls” in the air, he said, as they tried to make room for emergency services to treat the injured.
According to preliminary information, the person who encountered police was wearing a white shirt and dark pants, John said, adding that investigators were canvassing the scene and looking for witnesses. The video will also be reviewed, he said.
John praised the response of Shook, the officer who returned fire, saying his actions saved lives.
“He acted immediately, he ran towards the shots, and if it wasn’t for his actions, we can only imagine what kind of injuries we would have had for people,” John said.
At least two people were shot in a separate incident in Cincinnati’s central business district, John said. He did not say whether the shootings were related, and did not provide any information on the condition of the victims or details on any suspects.