A 27-year-old woman was shot on the 900 block of James Street in Springfield Wednesday night and rushed to the hospital, while the person who pulled the trigger ran off before officers could arrive. Police responded to the scene around 8:18 p.m. and are still searching for the shooter, who remains at large.
Victim Treated and Released After Non-Life-Threatening Injuries
The Springfield Fire Division transported the woman to Mercy Health — Springfield Regional Medical Center, according to Springfield News-Sun. She was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and later released, per a media release cited in the same report. Mercy Health — Springfield Regional Medical Center, located at 100 Medical Center Drive, serves as Clark County's sole full-service hospital and emergency medical facility, according to Mercy Health.
Springfield police believe the shooting was an isolated incident and that there is no ongoing threat to the public, the outlet's report notes. Investigators with the Springfield Police Division are continuing to look into the non-fatal shooting, and the shooting suspect fled the scene before officers arrived, leaving detectives to canvass the neighborhood for witnesses and evidence.
A Block With a Violent History
Wednesday's shooting was not the first act of gun violence on that stretch of James Street. WHIO-TV previously reported that the same block was the site of a May 2022 drive-by shooting that left 33-year-old Jeffrey Justice hospitalized and required a CareFlight helicopter evacuation. A 911 caller at the time described multiple shots fired from a passing vehicle, according to that report.
The Springfield Police Division is led by Chief Allison Elliott, who was sworn in in December 2022 as the first woman to hold the department's top post, according to the City of Springfield. Under her leadership, the department reported a 19% reduction in calls reporting shots fired in 2025 following the rollout of its Gun Safety and Violence Reduction Collaborative, which incorporates drones and real-time crime center software to track firearm calls, per the Springfield Police Division's 2025 Annual Report.
Springfield's Crime Rate Remains Elevated
Springfield continues to post violent crime numbers well above state and national averages. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data analyzed in 2026 ranked Springfield among Ohio's higher per-capita crime municipalities, with a 2024 violent crime rate of 1,370.7 per 100,000 residents compared to a national average of roughly 359 per 100,000, according to eufy. Separate Ohio Incident-Based Reporting System data compiled by Fortress Law Group found the statewide violent crime rate averaged 2.9 incidents per 1,000 residents in 2025, below the national baseline of 3.6, even as urban centers like Cleveland and Springfield maintained elevated local rates.
Potential Charges if Suspect Is Caught
If identified and arrested, the shooter could face felonious assault charges. Under Ohio Revised Code § 2903.11, knowingly causing or attempting to cause physical harm to another person using a deadly weapon constitutes felonious assault, a second-degree felony punishable by two to eight years in prison and fines up to $15,000. Ohio law also allows for mandatory, consecutive prison term enhancements of three or five additional years under Ohio Revised Code § 2941.145 and § 2929.14 when a felony is committed with a firearm, enhancements that cannot be reduced through post-conviction release programs.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Springfield police at [email protected] or 937-324-7685. The department has leaned on tip lines and community outreach efforts, including National Night Out, to generate leads in cases involving isolated neighborhood shootings, according to the City of Springfield. As of Thursday, no arrests had been announced and the suspect's identity remained unknown.
