Portsmouth police responded to a shots-fired call just after midnight, with officers searching multiple locations, collecting shell casings, and checking for possible gunshot victims.
According to the police log, officers were given several descriptions of people who may have been involved.
One person was described as wearing a pink top, with dreadlocks and a red hat. Another description listed a possible shooter wearing red shorts and a black hoodie. Police were also told another person with the shooter was wearing a white tank top and jean shorts.
Officers checked the area around Washington Street and later responded near Bobby’s and Dirty’s as they tried to sort out who was involved and where the shots came from.
Police located shell casings during the investigation.
Officers were also told that a man with dreadlocks and a red hat, who police had spoken with on 4th Street, had allegedly flashed a gun before the incident started.
A witness later confirmed that a man matching that description was involved.
Police advised King’s Daughters Medical Center and Southern Ohio Medical Center to contact them if anyone came in with a gunshot wound.
Officers also checked an address on 7th Street for the welfare of anyone inside, but no one answered. Police noted the location appeared to be a business.
A nearby business told police it had camera footage of the incident, and officers gathered several items for impound.
No arrest was listed in the information provided.
The call shows how chaotic a shots-fired investigation can get in the first few minutes: multiple descriptions, people leaving the area, witnesses pointing officers in different directions, possible weapons, shell casings, and hospitals being alerted in case someone turns up wounded.
In this case, police found evidence that shots were fired, but no gunshot victim or arrest was listed in the initial information provided.