Shots fired at Edgewater early Friday; heightened police presence continues

Cleveland Metroparks Police are investigating shots fired at Edgewater Park early Friday morning. It’s the second shooting under investigation at the park in less than a month, and law enforcement says it has stepped up security to help deter crime.

Friday, Edgewater was busy with beachgoers, bikers and others enjoying the summer day.

“[We’re] just enjoying the beautiful weather and the beautiful scenery,” said Margaret Rein.

She and Reinhold Federmann were relaxing in lawn chairs early Friday afternoon.

“I remember it from like 50, 60 years ago when it was not this nice. So I appreciate what the park [district] has done to it,” Federmann said.

The pair said recent violence at the park hasn’t discouraged them from visiting.

“I decided I’m not - because of that - staying away from a place I like,” said Rein.

Overnight, Metroparks Police responded to the park after the police chief noticed suspicious activity.

“Got up last night about 2 o’clock in the morning. Then I figured I’d just take a look at the cameras and see what’s going on,” said Metroparks Police Chief Kelly Stillman.

News 5

He told News 5 he was watching the live feed from Edgewater as someone got out of a car and started shooting a gun across the parking lot. It was unclear what the person was shooting at, but no injuries were reported. The shooter left just before officers arrived.

“Fortunately for us, we do have a license plate reader. So we do have some very good information,” Stillman said.

The chief said upgraded surveillance cameras and heightened patrols helped the department respond quickly to the situation.

News 5

Both are changes made since an 18-year-old was shot at the park on June 22.

RELATED: Man injured in Edgewater Park shooting Saturday night

In that case, investigators released images of suspects caught on camera at the Edgewater Beach House. They said 16 people displayed guns during the incident.

Police release more photos of suspects connected to Edgewater shooting

RELATED: Police release more photos of armed suspects connected to Edgewater Park shooting

Stillman told News 5 that a resolution in the case is close.

“We’re really confident that we’ll get this solved,” he said.

The heightened security at Edgewater Park will continue as thousands of visitors descend upon Cleveland. On Sunday morning, triathletes in the Pan American Masters Games will begin their swim at the park. More than 4,000 athletes from 75 different countries will be in town for 10 days of competition in more than 2 dozen sports.

RELATED: Pan American Masters Games set to get underway Friday in Cleveland

Cleveland Police said there is a safety operation plan in place during the event. Metroparks Police said they will be assisting other agencies, using both uniformed, off-duty and plainclothes officers.

The chief said both visitors and residents can be confident that safety is a top priority.

“Rest assured that we’re doing everything that we can - technology-wise, personnel-wise, collaborating with other agencies,” Stillman said. “There’s such a strong presence with police down here that you should feel safe in coming here or really any other park within our park district.”

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