Cincinnati firefighters use bleach and a hose to clean and remove pools of blood left at the scene of a mass shooting near Grant Park in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020. Police confirm that multiple people are injured and at least three are dead after three separate shootings occurred in the city of Cincinnati within 90 minutes early Sunday morning. (Sam Greene/The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP)
The Associated Press
CINCINNATI (AP) - An Ohio prosecutor pledged Monday help police find and prosecute those responsible for a weekend wave of gun violence.
Cincinnati police said more than 20 people were shot, four fatally, in a string of seven cases beginning early Sunday morning. Police were still investigating, but didn't believe the shootings were connected.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said he is 'œalarmed, shocked and saddened'ť about the gun violence. The Republican also added that the violence and police response to it should silence calls to 'œdefund'ť police. Such calls have been made across the country for efforts to reform policing.
'œWhile I believe that we should police smartly and efficiently and use all of our resources in the best way possible, '~defunding' the police is not the answer,'ť Deters said in a statement.
Mayor John Cranley, a Democrat, said the city was facing 'œunprecedented circumstances and challenges'ť in fighting crime during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said guns are 'œfar too prevalent'ť at private gatherings after bars close early under pandemic restrictions.
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine again action on his 'œSTRONG Ohio'ť proposals to address gun violence. Introduced last year in the aftermath of a mass shooting in Dayton, the legislation lacks the toughest measures backed gun control advocates favored, but seeks to increase and improve background checks. It has stalled in the state Legislature.
Police said the three Sunday evening shootings in Cincinnati were unrelated, and none of the three victims had life-threatening wounds. Two people were wounded in hands, and a man was shot in the back after a fight broke out at a party, police said.
Those shootings followed four gunfire outbursts early Sunday in which 18 people where shot, four fatally. In one case, 10 people were shot.
No suspect information was released immediately in any of the cases.
Police said the department would shift officers from other assignments to increase the number of uniformed officers in the affected communities and would call on federal prosecutors and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for help.
In July, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that the city had experienced a rise in shootings and homicides from gun violence during the first half of the year as compared to the same time period in 2019.
___
Follow Dan Sewell at https://www.twitter.com/dansewell
Cincinnati firefighters use bleach to clean and remove pools of blood left at the scene of a mass shooting near Grant Park in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020. Police confirm that multiple people are injured and at least three are dead after three separate shootings occurred in the city of Cincinnati within 90 minutes early Sunday morning. (Sam Greene/The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP)
The Associated Press
Police tape blocks off the front entrance of the Chalfonte Plaza apartment building at the scene of a shooting Chalfonte Place in the Avondale neighborhood of Cincinnati on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020. Police in Cincinnati said multiple people were shot and several killed as gunfire erupted in several places around the city overnight. (Sam Greene/The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP)
The Associated Press
Party cups are left at the scene of a mass shooting near Grant Park in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020. Police in Cincinnati said multiple people were shot and several killed as gunfire erupted in several places around the city overnight. (Sam Greene/The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP)
The Associated Press
A blood stain is labeled with an evidence marker at the scene of a shooting on Chalfonte Place in the Avondale neighborhood of Cincinnati on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020. Police in Cincinnati said multiple people were shot and several killed as gunfire erupted in several places around the city overnight. (Sam Greene/The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP)
The Associated Press
The intersection of Gilbert and Lincoln Avenues in the Walnut Hills neighborhood of Cincinnati on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020. Police in Cincinnati said multiple people were shot and several killed as gunfire erupted in several places around the city overnight. (Sam Greene/The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP)
The Associated Press
Bystanders look around the scene of a shooting on Chalfonte Place in the Avondale neighborhood of Cincinnati on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020 Police in Cincinnati said multiple people were shot and several killed as gunfire erupted in several places around the city overnight. (Sam Greene/The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP)
The Associated Press
The Cincinnati Police crime scene unit is parked at the scene of a mass shooting near Grant Park on McMicken Avenue in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020. Police in Cincinnati said multiple people were shot and several killed as gunfire erupted in several places around the city overnight. (Sam Greene/The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP)
The Associated Press