Police are seeking all video that may have been taken of a shooting at the Juneteenth Festival over the weekend that wounded an 11-year-old boy, the Associated Press reported. The shooting happened on Saturday, at a festival at park near Columbus, Ohio, which historically has celebrated the end of slavery in the U.S.
The boy was hit in the leg by a stray gun shot and was hospitalized with injuries that were not life-threatening. A 15-year-old boy, Lovauntea J. Mickens,was later arrested in connection with the shooting.
Police said four others had been involved in fighting and were arrested before the shooting took place.
Officers in Columbus are asking the public to review cellphone or all kinds of video which were captured as possible evidence.
Juneteenth is an annual observance on June 19 to remember when Union soldiers enforced the Emancipation Proclamation and freed all remaining slaves in Texas on June 19, 1865.
Ohio police have charged the 15-year-old with a felonious assault, as reported by The Columbus Dispatch.
Basic assault occurs when you try to put someone in reasonable fear for their safety. Use of a deadly weapon during an assault constitutes aggravated assault. This applies whether or not the weapon causes physical injury to anyone. There doesn't need to be actual physical harm for basic assault or aggravated assault.
In addition to criminal charges for the Juneteenth shooting, the injured child can also potentially recover compensatory damages in a civil lawsuit over the alleged assault, news reports said. Under Ohio law, the parent of a child under the age of 18 can be held civilly liable for injuries if their child willfully and maliciously assaults another person by a means or force likely to produce great bodily harm.
Police closed down the festival after the shooting; it was supposed to have run through Sunday evening.
