AKRON, Ohio — A 24-year-old woman was shot during a barrage of gunfire outside a nightclub in northern Ohio early Sunday morning.
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Just before 2:30 a.m. Sunday, Akron Police officers responded to the Empire Lounge off Merriman Road after receiving multiple 911 calls reporting a shooting, CBS affiliate WOIO-19 reported.
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City leaders and police expressed concerns because the nightclub has been the site of numerous incidents, including a fatal shooting in May.
Neighbors told WOIO-19 that the scene was a “war zone.” Police reported nearly two dozen shots were fired.
Detectives recovered multiple shell casings from the parking lot, determining that at least two cars were also struck by gunfire.
Body camera footage obtained by WOIO-19 showed the initial aftermath. In the footage, officers could be heard asking, “Is anyone shot?” and being directed to a victim inside the building.
The gunfire stemmed from a large fight in the parking lot that escalated, according to Lieutenant Michael Murphy of the Akron Police Department.
The 24-year-old woman was shot in her abdomen and was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, WOIO-19 reported.
Lieutenant Murphy also added that this incident is similar to the death of 23-year-old Diamond Fisk, who was shot and killed in the same parking lot after a large crowd refused to disperse from the lounge.
“A young man, Diamond Fisk, lost his life in a very similar set of circumstances where he didn’t have anything to do with the argument that was going on,” Murphy said.
Fisk’s murder is still actively being investigated, and is a case that Murphy emphasized as “extremely important to us” and “important to people in the community,” WOIO-19 reported.
Lieutenant Murphy confirmed that the Akron Police Department is collaborating with the Mayor’s Office and the owners of Empire Lounge to find a solution in response to the rising safety concerns.
Murphy also indicated that the bar’s liquor license could be in jeopardy, potentially leading to its closure, WOIO-19 reported.
There is no description of the shooter, and the investigation is ongoing.
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