Green Township was the center of a police investigation yesterday night after multiple shots rang out near the Dent Schoolhouse, a popular Halloween haunt. According to WCPO, the Green Township police shut down a significant stretch of Harrison Avenue following the gunfire, which on-duty officers reported at approximately 9 p.m.
The sound of gunfire, emanating mere blocks from the seasonal attraction, caused a swift response from local law enforcement and questions from a confused yet unharmed crowd. "Corporal Chris Brausch with Green Township police said officers working a detail at the Dent Schoolhouse called in several gunshots around 9 p.m. Saturday," WCPO reported. No victims have been discovered, even as investigators found numerous shell casings scattered along the roadway.
In a separate account, WLWT informed that the Dent Schoolhouse decided to end its operations earlier in the night due to the incident, ensuring the safety of all customers. Although shots were heard and casings found, authorities have yet to make any arrests as the situation remains under active investigation.
Collaborative efforts by several police departments, including the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office and Colerain, Green, and Delhi Township Police Departments, were reported by Local12 News. With a potential count of 10 shots fired, investigators kept the area near the intersection with N Arbor Woods Court cordoned off late into the night. Meanwhile, no victims have been reported as hospitals stay alert for related admissions.
The sudden closure of Harrison Avenue had implications beyond the initial safety concerns, with the Dent Schoolhouse taking to their Facebook page to announce the unforeseen interruption of their Halloween festivities. As police continued their work beneath the streetlamps of Harrison Avenue, the echoes of the evening's chaos left an imprint on what was meant to be a night of controlled fear, the sort dished out in costume, with a scheduled cadence, not the sharp bark of gunfire and the chaotic scrambling of upset plans. This is what 'balance' looks like in a nation reckoning with the specter of public safety, law enforcement responds, communities recalibrate, and the search for answers begins anew, in the hope that such incidents become estranged from our collective experience.
