CLEVELAND, Ohio |
CLEVELAND, Ohio (Reuters) - A shooting occurred near a family unity festival in Cleveland headlined by funk musician George Clinton, police said on Sunday.
Shots were fired in the parking lot of a nearby foodstore, "relatively close" to Luke Easter Park, where the annual "Family Unity In the Park" festival was held on Saturday, according to an official of the investigative unit for homicide for the City of Cleveland Division of Police.
The official, who declined to be named, said he could not confirm reports one person was killed and three others injured in the shooting.
A 16-year-old boy was shot in the head and a 20-year-old female was hit in the neck when shots broke out during a fight, TMZ and BET reported Sunday. The reports said emergency services transported others to the hospital for their wounds, but no one had been arrested.
According to the Cleveland Police official, a note on the incident put the time of the shooting at 9:55 p.m.
George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic were due to take the stage at the free family event just after 8 p.m., according to an announcement for the event.
The police official said he could not give details of the shooting.
"Detectives on that one are out there right now investigating," he said. "We don't share information; we just work with the families."
Luke Easter in eastern Cleveland is the largest urban park in the state of Ohio, according to the Family Unity in the Park website. The park has also hosted political leaders such as Jesse Jackson and John Kerry.
"Bring your family, your blankets, your lawn chairs, your picnic baskets, and your grills for this family celebration. There will be a kiddie park for kids, health screenings, voter registration, information booths and more," the promotional website for Saturday's event stated.
(Writing by Molly O'Toole; Editing by Jerry Norton)
