A shooting on Second Street SW in New Philadelphia sent two men to the hospital Sunday evening, after dispatchers called the number back and received no answer, and a third call confirmed that a shooting had just occurred. Police say they apprehended one man at the scene, and detectives are now working to piece together exactly what happened at 238 Second St. SW.
According to a news release from Police Chief Tessa Pohovey, dispatchers received two 911 hang-up calls from the address shortly after 4 p.m. on Sept. 20, and when officers called the number back, no one answered. A third call soon confirmed that a shooting had taken place and that one man had been shot, as detailed in the release cited by Jordan Miller News. Police apprehended one man, and officers provided aid to another man at the scene before New Philadelphia Fire Department paramedics arrived, according to Cleveland 19 News. Both men were ultimately taken to the hospital, that report states.
New Philadelphia Police Department detectives are now investigating, and the department says it believes the shooting was an isolated incident, per the same press release. Officials have stated there is no active threat to the community, and the release indicates more information will be released later as the investigation continues. The identities and conditions of the two hospitalized men, along with the identity of the man taken into custody and any motive behind the shooting, have not yet been made public.
A Violent Incident in New Philadelphia
A 2025 safety report by SafeWise ranked New Philadelphia as the 7th safest city in Ohio, citing a violent crime index score of 0.7 per 1,000 residents, according to WJER Radio.
The city has occasionally seen serious cases pass through its court system. In August, a 34-year-old New Philadelphia man was charged with felony assault after cutting off his court-ordered ankle monitor and resisting sheriff's deputies during an arrest, as Hoodline reported at the time. And earlier this month, a 24-year-old Dayton man was sentenced to 180 days in Tuscarawas County Jail for child endangerment and custody interference after abducting a 15-year-old New Philadelphia girl and fleeing to Wisconsin in April, according to Hoodline's coverage of that sentencing.
A Department Stretched Thin
Chief Pohovey, sworn in as New Philadelphia's first female police chief in July 2023 after scoring highest on the promotional exam and serving with the department since 2012, oversees the police department, per the City of New Philadelphia.
In the city's 2026 State of the City Report published in March, Pohovey noted that the department operated two officers short throughout 2025 and three short in the fourth quarter, even as overall call volume increased. Those staffing pressures form the backdrop against which detectives are now working the Second Street SW shooting, with no timeline yet given for when charges might be filed.
What Charges Could Look Like
If charges are eventually filed, Ohio law offers a clear framework for how a shooting causing physical harm is typically prosecuted. Under Ohio Revised Code § 2903.11, knowingly causing physical harm with a deadly weapon is charged as felonious assault, a second-degree felony carrying two to eight years in prison, with a mandatory consecutive sentence of one to three years if a firearm specification is attached, according to legal guidance published on a Hayes Law page. No charges have been announced in connection with Sunday's shooting, and police have not identified the man taken into custody or disclosed a motive.
For now, the New Philadelphia Police Department is asking residents to trust that the situation is contained. Detectives continue to investigate, and officials say they will share additional details as the case develops.
