TOLEDO, Ohio — Six people, including a 4-year-old child, were shot within minutes of each other near Smith Park in central Toledo Wednesday night.
Toledo police officers found three people wounded, including the child, at about 9:30 p.m. near the intersection of Ewing Street and Woodland Avenue. Three other people were also shot minutes later at nearby Smith Park.
Police Thursday said they believe all victims were in the vicinity of the park at the time of the shootings and are treating this as one large incident.
The child and two other people -- Eleanor Dunn, 35, and Jade Lamb, 19 -- suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said Wednesday.
According to a police report, a 16-year-old victim was shot and is in critical condition. A 15-year-old was grazed, as was Brandon Denwiddie, 38.
Police said Thursday they are still investigating, but the shootings appear to be part of one large-scale incident that stemmed from a gathering at Smith Park.
"This situation is absolutely horrible," Toledo Police Lieutenant Michael Kurjan said. "It's people in our community who are out there just trying to have a nice time and their day or life is ruined by some horrible people."
Kurjan said residents can expect to see more police in parks around the city following this incident.
"If you're at the park or anywhere in the city and you're having a nice time, but you get that gut feeling that something's not right or if you notice someone in the park that is acting strange, trust your instincts," he said. "And please, flag officers down."
Police said the city's ShotSpotter system detected at least 30 rounds of gunfire from the incidents.
According to the police report released Thursday, officers in the area witnessed a large group of people "fleeing in all directions" from Smith Park. A short time later, a call came from the 900 block of Woodland about the initial shooting.