A Saturday night dust-up at a neighborhood bar in Akron’s North Hill ended with the 70-year-old owner shot in the abdomen and rushed to the hospital, police said.
The violence broke out inside North Hill Gameday Grille, where an argument exploded into gunfire and sent people scrambling for the exits. The owner was taken to a Summa Health hospital and is in stable condition, according to investigators. Witnesses told officers that those involved in the fight bolted from the bar immediately, and some reported hearing more shots outside as the chaos spilled into the street.
What investigators say
According to Cleveland.com, Akron police say the dispute began inside the bar and escalated fast, with multiple rounds being fired around 9:52 p.m. One of those bullets hit the owner in the stomach.
The department has not publicly released the victim’s name. As of the latest reports, no arrests had been made, and detectives were still trying to sort out who pulled the trigger. Investigators told reporters they are gathering witness statements and combing through surveillance video in an effort to identify everyone involved.
Response and condition
As reported by WOIO/Cleveland19, officers arrived to find the owner wounded and witnesses saying the suspects had already taken off. The victim was transported to Summa Health Akron, where he was listed in stable condition.
Detectives told the station they are reviewing footage from cameras inside and outside North Hill Gameday Grille to piece together the sequence of events from the first argument to the final shot.
Local context
Earlier this month, a separate bar shooting in Akron left one person dead and another wounded, local station WNIR reported. In that case, authorities said a suspect later turned himself in. Police are urging anyone with information about either incident to speak up.
How to help
Anyone with information about the North Hill shooting is asked to contact the Akron Police Department Detective Bureau at (330) 375-2490 or the APD tip line at 330-375-2TIP. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Summit County Crimestoppers at 330-434-COPS (2677) or by texting TIPSCO to 274637, according to local reporting. The investigation remains active, and police have not announced any arrests.
