TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo police have arrested a Toledo man for the early-morning shooting of a bouncer at a west Toledo bar's St. Patrick's Day event.
Vernon Woods, 38, was apprehended Friday afternoon after authorities circulated an image of the suspect in the shooting at Delaney's Lounge. Woods, who has a criminal record of offenses involving guns, is charged with felonious assault.
Witnesses said the suspect shot the bouncer shortly before 1:30 a.m. Friday after an altercation that began with two people bumping into each other.
The person who was bumped into, according to witnesses, pulled out a gun in front of everyone, shot the bouncer and left the bar.
Toledo police later circulated a photo of the suspect with the hopes the public would help locate him.
The unidentified bouncer who was shot in the abdomen was taken to the hospital and was in critical condition Friday morning, police said.
Witnesses at the scene described the frightening altercation that led to the shooting.
“I asked the DJ to cut the music because that's standard protocol, we cut the music to allow the bartenders to know there's a fight going on and it alerts the bouncer to come interrupt it, to mediate, and separate it," said Rachael Harrigan, a witness who called 911 after seeing the gun. "It just ended badly this time.”
Harrigan said she and her friend were scared as they left the bar.
“I was very shocked, and my fight-or-flight kicked in very quickly and, I just, I left as soon as I could," she said.