On May 4th, at approximately 4:12 PM, someone called 911 to report numerous shots fired near the Garfield Community Center in the 2300 Block of East Cherry Street. Witnesses reported seeing a female yelling out of a white car at a group of people standing in the parking lot area. One suspect in the group fired approximately six rounds at the vehicle. The vehicle and the suspects both fled the area. East Precinct officers immediately responded and checked the immediate area. The crime scene was located and five spent shell casings were recovered from the parking lot. A red jacket matching the suspect’s description was located a short distance away at 26th Avenue and East Jefferson Street. No victims were ever located. Gang detectives also responded to assist with the investigation.
As the investigation was concluding, detectives saw what appeared to be the victim vehicle returning the area. As the detectives attempted to contact the occupants, one of the passengers took off running. As the detectives pursued, the suspect dropped a handgun on the ground. The suspect was eventually caught and taken into custody. A total of three people were taken into custody out of the car.
The original suspect description (shooter) is a black male with dreadlocks, wearing a red jacket (later recovered) and black pants. That suspect ran off with a group of black males. At the time of this post, this remains an ongoing investigation.