TOLEDO, Ohio — Shots were fired all across Toledo on Monday night, according to Toledo police reports.
The bullets hit various apartment buildings and homes. No one was hurt, but one of the homeowners is a longstanding Toledo community member: June Boyd, the 86-year-old former city councilwoman and activist.
Boyd says that around 9:30 p.m., she and some of her family members were getting ready for dinner when violence suddenly erupted.
"Well, immediately, it's 'hit the deck,'" Boyd said. "Even the children. It was my two grandsons and my daughter. All of us knew the first thing you do is hit the ground."
Bullets tore through the back of the house, leaving a trail; hitting walls in the kitchen, bathroom and living room.
"I heard something like firecrackers at first and then they got louder, and then it sounded like the curtains were falling, because they were," June's daughter, Charlotte Boyd, said. "And at that point, I knew it was gunfire."
June and her family stayed frozen on the floor and waited until the police arrived.
June has worked as a public servant and community worker for years. She says she was dumbfounded as to why anyone would shoot up her home. But she soon learned it had nothing to do with her.
"I have a grandson, he has some issues and he was on Facebook with someone we don't know. I don't know how long he knew the kid, but they were making threats at each other," June said. "The end result happened because our house was shot up."
June says her grandson's mistake of engaging with the wrong person is only a single example of people solving their issues with violence. The experience has lit a fire inside her.
"For over 62 years, I have worked in this community. I used to take 15 kids to the Mud Hens baseball game," June said. "I've always looked out for the young, and I'm asking and calling on parents, ministers and community leaders to do the same."
She plans to hold a news conference Friday to further elaborate on how to end the bloodshed.
In the meantime, her family says they're just happy to be alive.