CINCINNATI — One person was injured and two others are in custody after a Saturday afternoon shooting at the Western Hills Plaza in Westwood, CPD Chief Teresa Theetge said.
Theetge said a fight outside the plaza in the parking lot led to one person being shot.
The person was shot in the hip and taken to the hospital. Theetge said she does not know their current condition.
Police responded to the plaza just after noon and blocked off all entrances, which were then reopened around 1:15 p.m.
Theetge said two suspects ran from the plaza "through a breezeway," but community members were able to help police locate the suspects. She said after a search with officers and K-9 units, both suspects are in custody. Police also recovered a gun.
It's unclear where exactly the two suspects were found.
"We applaud our community members who, by calling us, what they're really saying is 'not in my neighborhood, not in my city,'" Theetge said. "So we absolutely applaud them for picking up the phone and giving us a call."
Theetge could not confirm if either of the suspects entered any of the plaza's stores after the shooting.
"Keep in mind, this was a hectic and chaotic situation," Theetge said. "It's a Saturday afternoon. You have shoppers here. You have employees here."
She did say customers were seen exiting stores quickly.
SWAT units could be seen outside of the TJ Maxx store in the plaza.
The City of Cincinnati tweeted at 1 p.m. saying there was no active threat to the community.
#CincyAlert – ALL CLEAR – Police responded to an emergency near Target on Glenway Ave; there is no active threat to community. Normal activities can resume.
— City of Cincinnati (@CityOfCincy) August 12, 2023
The plaza has since reopened to the public as police continue to investigate.
Western Hills Plaza is filled with multiple stores and restaurants, including Target, TJ Maxx, PetSmart, Michaels, Foot Locker, Old Navy and more.
