The day after 12 people were wounded by gunfire at a festival in Toledo, Ohio, Bishop Daniel E. Thomas lamented that one of the city's "most beloved community traditions was suddenly shattered by senseless violence."
On the evening of Saturday, June 6, at the 53rd annual Old West End Festival, 12 people were wounded in an apparent dispute between two shooters who have yet to be identified, according to local police.
Police said all 12 injured were in "stable condition" as of Sunday afternoon. Organizers canceled the festival, which was to continue through Sunday.
The shooting took place just a few blocks from Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral during the vigil Mass on the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
Thomas issued a statement on June 7, saying: "For those of us who live in the Old West End, this tragedy is literally close to home."
Despite the "eerie quiet" in the neighborhood Sunday morning following the festival's cancellation, Thomas said the faithful gathered and "carried Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament through the streets of the Old West End in the annual Eucharistic procession."
"The Lord of Life was borne through the very neighborhood that had witnessed violence only hours before," he said. "In that sacred procession, we proclaimed a message radically opposed to hatred and violence: a message of peace, unity, love, and respect for every person."
The bishop said he remembers in prayer "the hundreds of innocent festival attendees whose sense of security was violated."
"While these tragic acts have shaken our neighborhood, they have not shaken our faith in humanity, nor have they shaken our faith in the Lord of Life," he said. "We remain committed to building a culture in which every person is valued, protected, and treated with dignity: a culture not of death but of life."
Thomas also referenced Pope Leo XIV's recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, in which the pontiff states that "human rights are inviolable, since they are 'inherent in the human person and in human dignity.'"
Thomas said: "Every act of violence is a failure to recognize the God-given dignity of the human person."
"Together with the people of the Old West End and our 19-county diocese, I lament and decry the indiscriminate violence that has so deeply affected this neighborhood," the bishop wrote, saying: "Gun violence has taken center stage in our community, leaving suffering and fear in its wake."
Investigative Lt. Dan Gerken said at a news conference Saturday that local police, who have not identified the shooters or made any arrests, are reviewing video footage and interviewing witnesses and victims.
"I'm feeling good about where we are right now, but we'll need the community's help. We'll take all the information we can," he said.
"As far as violence, this is over the top," Gerken said. "Twelve people is a lot. This is way over the top."
