9 people injured in mass shooting at Cincinnati music venue

CINCINNATI (WXIX/Gray News) - Nine people were injured, one critically, following an early Sunday mass shooting at a music venue in Cincinnati.

The shooting happened shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday at 4343 Kellogg Avenue, the location of Riverfront Live, a 16-and-over music venue in the East End.

Cincinnati Police estimated 500 to 600 people were inside the venue at the time of the shooting. Video from the security cameras at a nearby business shows a crowd running out of the venue after the first shots were fired inside.

The nine victims were taken to two different hospitals. One person is in critical condition, five are stable and three people were treated and released.

There is no description of the suspect(s) right now, police say.

Riverfront Live was hosting a birthday party that started at 10 p.m. Saturday, according to an Instagram post from DJ Fresh.

Police have not confirmed whether the shooting stemmed from the party, but they did say it is an isolated incident and there is no threat to the public.

Parents of shooting victims speak out

Antoinette Coates says her 35-year-old son is among the victims injured in the shooting. She said her son was shot four times, but he is expected to be OK.

“If you’re going to be having these parties, protect your people,” Coates said. “Evidently, they’re letting people in without searching them, and they’re letting guns in or they’re letting people bring guns. I could have lost my son because somebody is being too cheap or too careless.”

Angel Potts, the mother of a 25-year-old victim, said her daughter was with a group of friends celebrating a friend’s birthday when the shooting began.

“She was leaving the bathroom, and there was a few people in front of her. That’s when they started hearing the gunshots,” Potts said. “Then, she said they just dropped down, and some of them went running. She went running towards the door and went out of the door and jumped the fence and went across to a United Dairy Farmer.”

Potts said her daughter believed security measures at the door would keep her safe.

“They charge them $60 or $50 to get into this establishment, and then, they’re not safe,” Potts said. “Then, they’re letting people in that are not good people or have firearms on them when they were frisked on through the door. She said they patted her down, so she thought she would be safe.”

Potts described her daughter’s condition following the incident.

“Very distraught, anxiety is up at the emergency room. She’s being checked out, and it’s not good. She’s a little banged up,” Potts said.

Witness describes altercation before shooting

A man, who asked to remain anonymous, said he witnessed a person on the floor involved in an altercation with four to five people before that person was “knocked unconscious.”

The witness said 10 to 15 minutes after that incident, he saw “three dudes came from the back and shoot the club up and ran out the way they came in.”

Police have not confirmed whether the shooting is connected to that altercation.

The investigation is ongoing.