A shooting has been reported from an Ohio gym, leading to the death of one person Tuesday night. The gym is located on the west side of Columbus. The police said the shooting happened at an Esporta Fitness centre off Hilliard Rome Road at approximately 8:46 pm. The victim was taken to Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in critical condition but pronounced dead at 9:37 p.m. at the hospital.
Columbus police dispatchers had earlier said that another person had died in the gym shooting, but later the figure was revised to just one victim. The shooting happened inside the basketball court of the gym, officials said. Following the shooting, people inside the gym ran out, and the police believe the suspect also ran out the back of the building along with others.
“We thought it was somebody deadlifting, but we realised it was somebody going too fast for that,” Amar Singh, one of the persons inside the building at the time of the shooting, told NBC. “We realised it was like five or six shots and we ran out the back exit. It registered in my mind after like the fourth shot and that’s when we started running and, for me, I kind of got, like, numb. I wasn’t thinking straight.”
Esporta later closed basketball facilities at all of its Ohio locations following the shooting. The management said that the Hilliard gym will remain closed until 9 am, Wednesday, for clean-up and disinfecting.
A second shooting was reported from the west side of Columbus 20 minutes later. Police said they had found two victims critically injured, who were later reported to be in stable condition at the hospital.
(With inputs from agencies)
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