Police say one officer suffered a ‘minor leg injury.’ A 27-year-old woman was also injured in the initial shooting.
AKRON, Ohio — Two suspects were arrested after one of them fired at Akron officers during an incident late Sunday night.
Police say it was around 11:23 p.m. when they responded to a call for a welfare check on Grant Street when they heard gunshots nearby.
Moments later, officers responded to the scene in the 400 block of Sherman Street to investigate.
At a press briefing on Monday afternoon, Akron law enforcement stated that two individuals ran away on foot from the location upon the officers’ arrival. The officers proceeded to chase after the suspects, with one of them shooting at the officers, forcing the officers to return fire while seeking shelter.
Shortly after the incident, the police captured a 33-year-old individual, although it was promptly established that he was not the one who had shot at the officers. The authorities have not disclosed his identity yet.
During the media briefing, the police revealed the identity of the perpetrator who had opened fire on the officers. The individual has been identified as Calvin Hunt, a 45-year-old. Hunt was taken into custody later that day and is now facing three charges of felonious assault.
“A firearm and over a dozen shell casings were recovered from the scene,” according to police.
Upon further investigation, Akron police say a 27-year-old woman was found inside an apartment with a gunshot wound to the leg with a non-life-threatening injury.
“The two officers involved have one and two years with the Akron Police Department, respectively,” according to Akron police. “The officers will be placed on paid administrative leave per departmental procedure.”
Akron police also said one officer suffered a minor leg injury in the incident but was not struck by gunfire.
“The Office of Professional Standards and Accountability will conduct a separate internal investigation,” according to the press release. “The results will be provided to the police chief and the City of Akron Police Auditor.”
The incident remains under investigation.
Akron Police Chief Brian Harding issued the following statement about the situation:
This incident highlights the challenging and sometimes dangerous encounters our officers face every day. Often, our officers are confronted with difficult decisions in the interest of public safety and in the most extreme cases, those decisions can mean life or death. This was a dangerous interaction that had the potential to become much worse if not for the actions of our officers.
Monday’s full press conference can be seen in the video at the top of this story.
