10 people shot in Short North on Saturday, Columbus police say

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Columbus police leaders on Monday provided an update to Saturday's violence in the Short North.

Chief Elaine Bryant said a total of 10 people were shot at two different scenes on North High Street at about 2:30 a.m. Saturday, one in the 600 block and one in the 800 block.

It was the first time, 60 hours after the shootings, that police confirmed exactly how many people were injured.

"This scene was extremely chaotic," Bryant said during a news conference Monday afternoon before two officer-worn video clips were released for the first time.

WARNING: Below is a replay of the news conference during which the officer-worn video is being released. It may be disturbing to some viewers.

The video confirmed the chaotic nature of the events. Officers went from breaking up fights along a sidewalk to responding to shots being fired by returning fire with their own weapons. The first officer video released lasted nine minutes and was littered with screaming and shouting and an officer's repeated commands to one suspect to "drop the gun."

Both of the videos showed victims bleeding. ABC 6 live-streamed the news conference with warning language, alerting viewers to the possibility that some of the imagery could be disturbing.

Bryant also said all of the shooting victims were between the ages of 18 and 27, adding that all were expected to survive.

How many of the 10 were shot by officers is under investigation, but the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation said it "can confirm that two individuals were injured as a result of the officer-involved shooting with Columbus Police."

Due to BCI taking over the investigation, Bryant could not confirm who was shot by officers.

"At this time, we can not definitively tell you how many people may have been injured or shot by officers," Bryant said. "We do know at least one, but we can’t tell you definitively. There was so many shots occurring there, multiple crossfire. At this point, with it being a BCI investigation, we’ll have to wait to make a determination.”

ALSO | 3 dead, several others injured as police investigate 4 shooting scenes

The Columbus Division of Police identified three officers involved in the shooting as Carl Harmon, Jacob Velas and Ian Mansperger.

Harmon is an eight-year veteran of the Columbus Division of Police and is assigned to Patrol, Zone 4 Evening Midwatch. Velas is a six-year veteran and assigned to Patrol, Zone 4 evening Midwatch as well. Mansperger is a two-year veteran and assigned to Patrol, Zone 3. He was working special duty during this shooting, police said.

"Clearly, we have work to do," Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said at Monday's news conference before calling for what he called common-sense gun reform "to protect our officers and to protect our neighbors."

Police said a 20-year-old man is in custody in connection with the High Street shootings.

His name has not been released. He was originally hospitalized in critical condition but has since been upgraded to stable. The police chief also said officers collected 11 guns at those shooting scenes, though it remains unclear if the two shootings are connected to each other.

Near the end of Monday's news conference, Bryant said she wanted to correct a "narrative" about the efforts of police during the current uptick in gun violence.

"We are arresting more people than we ever have before," she said before acknowledging, as Ginther did, the heroic work of officers who were quick to bring the shootout to an end."

Earlier Monday, the Fraternal Order of Police executive vice president said most of the guns he takes off suspects are from people who shouldn't be allowed to have them.

"The guns I remove from a waistband, nine out of 10 times (are from) a person who's not supposed to have one in the first place," said Brian Steel, who represents Capital City Lodge No. 9 here in Columbus.

ABC 6's Kate Siefert spoke to Steel on Monday morning following to get his reaction to the weekend violence.

ALSO | 2 dead, 3 injured in north Columbus shooting early Saturday morning

Steel told Siefert he was on duty Friday night into Saturday morning when the shooting happened.

"It was chaotic," he said. "In my almost 20 years of being a police officer this is the most chaotic scene I have ever seen. The radio traffic was chaos. You had citizens calling 911. Citizens trapped inside bars calling 911 saying what do I do? I’m afraid to leave. It was complete pandemonium, people running everywhere screaming. And let’s not forget the blood and the victims that were laying on the street."

The shooting in the Short North was one of three shootings that took place early Saturday morning.

Five people were found shot in the Linden area on St. Clair Avenue just an hour after the Short North shootings. One of the victims, identified as 28-year-old Taylin Rowland died. The suspect, now identified as 29-year-old Keith Pleasant, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

"We only have so many resources," Steel said. "So when the St. Clair shooting came out, there were five people total shot including the suspect. The scariest part is what we heard over the radio. It’s something that no one wants to hear. You heard that there were no cars clear to go. There were literally no cars clear to send to five people being shot."

Steel also said he's not optimistic about a future with less gun violence.

"I think if you melted every gun in the country, they're still going to find a way to kill people," he said.