SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio — Less than a week after a deadly shooting at the Shaker Heights Public Library, the building has reopened to the public.
An 18-year-old man died after a shooting at Shaker Heights Public Library on Tuesday afternoon.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner has identified the victim as Charles Shanklin.
A 15-year-old boy was arrested and charged with murder, felonious assault, and carrying a concealed weapon in connection to the shooting, according to the City of Shaker Heights. The boy tried to run from the scene but was later found at the intersection of Ashby and Milverton Roads in Shaker Heights.
According to Shaker Heights, a physical altercation is what led to the deadly shooting.
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"It's really tragic what happened here this week, and I was really sad when I learned about it," frequent library goer, Emily Adams, said.
Adams said while it's a devastating tragedy, she still feels safe enough to continue doing something she loves: coming to the library to read.
"It's a place where community can get together," Adams added. "I think it's important to continue coming and showing support for the librarians and the people who work here and gather here regularly to show that nothing's different. It's still safe. It's still a great place to come."
Another avid library guest, Joanne Blanchard, told me the library doesn't feel any different than before.
"It feels normal. Everything's good. The librarian in the tech center is assisting people. People are quietly working on the computers, reading, doing whatever it is that they come to the library to do," Blanchard said.
The Shaker Heights Public Library has been closed since Tuesday, but reopened on Saturday.
"We were definitely nervous, but there's been an outpouring of support. From the moment the doors opened in the morning, we had folks coming in just to come in and offer us support. People brought us cookies. They brought us doughnuts, coffee, hot chocolate, flowers, cards. We just had folks coming in all day — wanting to offer the library and the library staff support and care. We had therapy dogs in the library yesterday. It has just really meant the world to our staff. We feel like we want to show up for our Shaker community and our Shaker community is showing up for us," Shaker Heights Public Library Director Amy Switzer stated.
For at least the next few weeks, there will be an increased police presence at the library.
Two patrol units were outside of the library on Sunday.
"There's a couple of police officers sitting off to the side, but it doesn't seem unusual at all," Adams said.
Blanchard said seeing the increased police presence provides her with a sense of relief. She is hoping more will be offered to teens.
"Maybe they have town halls, like forums for teens to talk. Maybe teachers could come and talk to the teens in the community and sometimes have grief sessions, grief counseling for the community when an incident occurs. That might be a good idea," Blanchard suggested. "I feel sadness. I feel distress. I feel that somehow, America's failing their teenagers if they feel that they have to resort to violence, and not use their words or walk away."
The library is in its preliminary stages of figuring out what else will change when it comes to upgrading safety.
"We're in the process of assessing what our safety and security options are. They're gonna strike the right balance and be the best to make sure that everybody knows that our library is safe for all of our customers and for our staff," Switzer shared.
While Switzer said she was unable to share specifics on the ideas being bounced around to improve safety, she explained that nothing, at least for now, will physically change inside the library.
"I can't say that it will never look different, but right now, things look the same," Switzer stated.
Shaker Heights Public Library hours will remain the same.
"We are a safe and welcoming place for our community. We're safe for our staff and we welcome our whole community. We welcome folks of all ages. We welcome our teens back. Our staff has worked so hard to build relationships and connections with all of our community of all ages. We're here for you," Switzer said.
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