Gunshots On New Year's In Cleveland Heights, Police Investigate

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — There were 17 reports of gunfire on New Year's Eve in Cleveland Heights, according to Police Chief Annette Mecklenburg. However, there were no injuries of any kind reported on the holiday.

Mecklenburg told Patch that no one was taken into custody on Dec. 31, but several of the reported gunshots are still being investigated. She added, in a statement shared to social media, that some of the 17 callers reported gunshots in the same geographical area, meaning multiple people could have been describing one incident.

All 17 of the gunfire-related calls came in between midnight and 12:15 a.m., Mecklenburg said. Cleveland Heights police were on patrol throughout the city on the holiday and were able to investigate each call.

"It can be difficult to decipher gunshots from fireworks and also to identify where exactly the noise is emerging from, but our officers did their best to locate and deter further unlawful acts. The perpetrators also quickly disperse making it difficult to find or arrest the culprit," she said in her statement.

Reports of gunfire tapered off quickly after midnight, Mecklenburg said. Luckily, there were no injuries reported as a result of the gunshots.

"This action and behavior is not acceptable and we thank the community for alerting us to these situations, and we remain vigilant year around to any and all unlawful acts," Mecklenburg said.