Editor’s note: This article was originally published on Oct. 28, 2014.
Athens Police Department have a description of a suspect who potentially fired gunshots early Sunday morning on Court Street.
No one was injured, APD reported.
The suspect who fired the weapon has been described as a black male in his 20s, roughly 5-feet-10-inches to 6-feet-1-inches tall and of medium build. He was wearing blue jeans and a dark hooded sweatshirt during the incident, said Investigative APD Lt. Jeff McCall in an email early Monday.
The 9 mm handgun recovered near Hudson Health Center is awaiting DNA information that could point toward a more concrete suspect.
APD Chief Tom Pyle held a press conference Monday afternoon at the Athens City Building, 8 E. Washington St., to discuss arrest statistics and the law enforcement’s perspective on Saturday’s Halloween Block Party.
But Pyle spent most of his time talking about the gun that was fired at least twice into the air during a fist fight at 2:05 a.m. Sunday on Court Street, between West Washington and West Union Streets.
McCall said he can’t recall a similar incident involving a firearm at past Halloween parties.
Pyle said during the press conference that four individuals were taken into custody for investigation following the shooting, with many being involved in a “two-group” assault proceeding the shots fired.
Each were swabbed for bullet residue, but none of the four individuals were charged with a crime.
Pyle added that he does not know which direction the bullets traveled, though the casings were found in the middle of Court Street, adding that there were about five officers on scene who reported seeing or hearing the assault and shots fired.
“As far as helping piece together what (the officers) heard, they’d be witnesses,” Pyle said. “But several of these people pursued this individual.”
Pyle added that he has no idea if the suspect was an Ohio University student, but he fled to Voigt Hall and toward campus following the shots fired. Initial descriptions of the suspect came from two or three police officers who followed the male on foot.
There have been eight to 10 witnesses the department identified and interviewed, though Pyle suspects more might come forward.
Pyle said he and APD Captain Ralph Harvey were in the city building at the time the shots were fired.
“The feeling that several staff had is that (the block party) was a little more violent, little more belligerent,” Pyle said.
Paula Horan-Moseley, city service-safety director, was present at the press conference and added that Athens City Council will likely be looking toward discussions on what modifications could be made to make the $70,000 event more organized.
“I’m still absorbing what happened,” Horan-Moseley said.
Brandon “DJ B-Funk” Thompson, who helps plan the entertainment for the block party, said he believes the shots fired shouldn’t have an affect on future Halloween Block Parties. He was in the parking lot between Lucky’s and Attractions at the Lokoween Stage when the shots were fired.
“It just seemed like business as usual after that,” Thompson said Sunday. “There was a shooting then people were just still walking around the streets. I never felt unsafe or anything like that. I think a lot of people are kind of blowing it out of proportion because Athens kind of is in this bubble where not a lot of stuff happens.”
Horan-Moseley said city officials are already discussing what preventative procedures might be put in place for future Halloween Block Parties, though nothing is definitive yet.
—Elizabeth Backo contributed to this article.
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