6 shootings in city on weekend bring year’s total to 13

Toledo police respond to a shooting Monday outside 709 Prouty Ave. Police say a man was shot but not seriously hurt.

Despite a quiet start to the year, the number of people shot in the city nearly doubled after a busy, violent weekend.

As of Monday night, at least six people were shot in Toledo since Friday evening, bringing the year-to-date tally to 13.

“Everything is cyclical,” police Sgt. Joe Heffernan said.

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None of the recent shootings were fatal; police described the various injuries as not lifethreatening. No arrests have been made and police can’t say whether any of the individual incidents are related or considered to be retaliatory.

“Quite frankly, I don’t think we’ve come to any conclusions that there’s one main cause that’s relating these shootings,” the sergeant said.

Of all the shootings this year, two on Feb. 2 were fatal. Michael Macklin, Jr., 20, and Michael Williams, Jr., 24, both of Toledo, were killed in what police believe to be unrelated incidents hours apart.

All 13 cases remain unsolved.

“It’s so hard to sometimes nail down what the motives are for some of these,” Sergeant Heffernan said.

Monday, just after 1 p.m., Charles Williams, whose age was not available, was shot in his left calf outside 709 Prouty Ave., police said. The victim, who was treated at Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center for the wound, told police he and another person got into an argument. When the victim turned to leave, he was shot, Sgt. Geoffrey Glover said.

A spate of shootings started Friday evening when three Toledo men showed up at ProMedica Toledo Hospital reporting that they had been shot.

Marcus Patton, 21, was shot in his back and Richard Quinn, 21, was shot in his right cheek. The third man, Keith Hamilton, 23, was found not to be hurt after medical staff examined him. Police said a bullet grazed his hair.

The trio told police they were near South Detroit Avenue and Buckingham Street at 4:38 p.m. when the car they were in was shot at by at least one of four men, dressed in all red, in a passing silver Chevrolet Impala.

Just after midnight Saturday, police were called to a home in the 3300 block of Maple Street in North Toledo where a suspected burglar shot at the homeowner.

Carl Adams told police he and his wife, Jo-Beth, were in bed when he got up because his dog was barking. Someone in his garage saw him and shot once as Mr. Adams tried to go back to his bedroom.

Mr. Adams and the burglar struggled over the gun and another shot was fired, according to an incident report. The suspect dropped the gun and fled. Mr. Adams was struck on the head with the gun but no one was shot, police said.

Only a few hours later, at 3:25 a.m., gunfire broke out inside a North Toledo strip club.

Police were told someone was shot inside King of Diamonds Gentleman’s Club, 707 Matzinger Rd., the former Remy’s Gentleman’s Club, but they found no victims there. Police reported they found a shell casing and a bullet near a back stage; a bullet hole was found in the ceiling.

Less than an hour later, at 4:08 a.m. Saturday, two men were shot outside an after-hours club at 1402 Norwood Ave. Edward Skelton, Jr., 40, and William Skelton, 36, both of Toledo, were found outside on the ground with gunshot wounds in their legs, police said. They were treated at Toledo Hospital.

Kevin Stuart, 24, of Toledo, was taken by a friend to Toledo Hospital at 12:45 p.m. Saturday, after being shot in the left arm. Mr. Stuart told police he was walking near Elm and Bancroft streets when a dark-colored sedan went by and shots were fired.

Police ask that anyone with information about any of the shootings call the Crime Stopper program at 419-255-1111.

Contact Taylor Dungjen at tdungjen@theblade.com, or 419-724-6054, or on Twitter @taylordungjen.