AKRON, Ohio — Neighbors are calling for changes, and Akron city leaders are considering taking action after a deadly shooting that may have stemmed from an altercation at a bar.
Police have responded to the bar— which has changed names over the years— on East Archwood Avenue multiple times for other shootings since November of 2022.
Around 3:45 a.m. Sunday, 911 calls came flooding into the dispatch center after residents reported a hail of gunfire.
"It was like gunshots. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom and then it was like an automatic weapon after," one caller told an operator.
Officers found the victim, 41-year-old Roland Williams, with gunshot wounds a few blocks away from the bar on Inman and Davies Streets.
He was taken to Summa Akron City Hospital, where he died. Police have not made any arrests or named suspects.
Captain Michael Miller said an altercation at the bar apparently proceeded with the shooting. Williams was killed shortly after he left the bar, Miller said.
Some of the shots pierced the wooden fence of neighbor Kathy Klein. The rapid gunfire startled her out of sleep.
"I heard a lot of gunshots and it sounded like two different guns firing," Klein said.
Klein said when she moved into the neighborhood in 1994, the bar was named Archwood Bar and it was a quiet establishment.
But the name has changed several times. It was called The Pour House before it was renamed again. Signs hanging from the building now read The Office Bar and Grille.
Records obtained by News 5 show officers have responded to the building's address at 752 E. Archwood Ave. eight other times for shots fired in about 1 1/2 years. In two of the cases, people were injured.
"That's eight incidents far too many," Miller said.
Klein said she has gotten so used to the sound of shootings that she doesn't even get up to look if it's only a couple of shots.
"I feel like every time I bring my dog outside at night, or even sometimes during the day, I'm taking my life into my own hands," she said.
Miller said there are several actions officers could take to keep an eye on the bar, including deploying the Gun Violence Reduction Team and stepping up patrols and traffic enforcement.
"The community wants the situation solved and we have a requirement and a responsibility to do that," Miller said.
Klein, who has spoken to Councilman Donnie Kammer about her concerns, is also asking neighbors to be alert and report problems or crimes connected to the bar to police.
"I'd love to see either the place closed completely and become another type of business other than a bar, or I'd love to see them make some drastic changes and bring it back to the quiet neighborhood bar it was when I moved in here."
In a statement, Akron Mayor Shammas Malik said:
We are aware of the significant public safety concerns surrounding this particular location and my administration along with members of city council and our Akron Police Department are actively working towards a solution which would address these concerns in the neighborhood. We will not tolerate nuisance locations which impact the safety of our residents. This community deserves to feel safe in their homes, on their streets and at their local businesses.
