MACEDONIA, Ohio — Macedonia police thought they solved a shooting that terrified festival goers on the night of June 8, but evidence has revealed that the gunman— possibly a teenager— is still out there.
As a result, Summit County Crimestoppers is now offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that solves the shooting.
Drone camera video, released to News 5, captured chaotic moments as people ran from a ride at SummerFest near the Recreation Center, and multiple police officers ran towards the area where witnesses heard gunfire just after 10 p.m.
Police said two to five rounds were fired into the air after a fireworks show wrapped up on the second and final night of the fest.
"At the time, we weren't sure if anybody had actually been struck by any of the rounds," said Lt. Christian Costello.
It was a terrifying experience for LaJuan Flores, who was attending the festival with her three kids and a one-year-old she was babysitting.
"We start seeing like a rush of people running towards the Rec Center," Flores said. "I see everybody running and then we heard a few gunshots, and so when I heard the first gunshot, that's when we kind of rapidly picked up and got out of there."
Costello said some people suffered minor injuries while running away, but it was very fortunate that no one was shot.
"The bullets have to go up. They come down somewhere. Not only that, but they panic. The sound of gunshots makes everyone flee the area," Costello said.
As police searched for the gunman, they received a tip that a teen with a gun was inside a car in a nearby grassy parking area.
Body camera captured the arrest of a 17-year-old boy. They found a 9mm handgun in the car.
Detectives said it turned out the gun was one of about 30 guns stolen from an Akron-area gun shop in 2022.
However, Costello said testing revealed it was not the gun fired at the festival.
"The firearm was sent out to BCI to be examined. They did determine that the shell casings that we recovered and the gun were not the same, so the shell casings we recovered did not come from the gun we recovered," Costello said.
That means police are back to square one, trying to figure out who fired the shots at the fest.
Police are hoping the reward from Summit County Crimestoppers motivates someone to come forward with the truth.
When asked how worried he was that the gunman was still out there, Costello said, "Very worried. I mean, if he's willing to pull out a gun in a mass crowd and shoot rounds into the air over a disagreement with another party, who knows what he could be capable of. Someone knows who he was. Someone was there with him. Someone was his friend who was there with him. We're just asking for them to do the right thing and come forward."
Flores, who has attended the festival for several years, believes the shooting proves people need to be alert wherever they go.
"We're living in a new time, unfortunately, and so we all have to kind of keep our eyes and ears open to make sure that we're as safe as possible," Flores said.
The incident prompted Macedonia Mayor Nick Molnar to pause similar seasonal events going forward to keep the community safe.
RELATED: Macedonia pauses all city 'fests' following shots fired at Summerfest
"We will be reevaluating all events going forward, and I have immediately paused all of the city's fests," Molnar said in a statement.
Tipsters can remain anonymous when calling Summit County Crimestoppers at 330-434-COPS.
