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CANFIELD -- Three teenage boys from Warren were arrested following an incident near the Canfield Fairgrounds on Fairground Boulevard on Sunday night.
The teens were detained after an extensive search by dozens of law enforcement officers, according to Canfield police Chief Chuck Colucci. A call about the shooting came in just before 11:30 p.m. after the fair closed.
The search involved 15 Canfield officers, 20 Mahoning County sheriff deputies and several K-9 units, he said. Colucci said drones also were used to locate the juveniles.
He said a gun was found in a backyard behind a shed on Fairground Boulevard, and the boys admitted to shooting the gun. As of Monday afternoon, only two of the three teens arrested Sunday night were being charged. No further information was released.
ACTON INCIDENT
The shooting occurred about nine hours after a Canfield man was arrested by Mahoning County Sheriff's deputies at the Mahoning County Democratic Party tent at the Canfield Fair on Sunday afternoon.
Patrick Havas, 38, of Canfield, is at the Mahoning County jail on two charges of felony assault and one count of disorderly conduct, according to jail records. No bond was set, and he likely will appear in Mahoning County Court in Canfield on Tuesday because the court was closed for Labor Day.
The Mahoning County Sheriff's Office said Havas entered the tent around 2:30 p.m. Sunday and was using his cellphone to record a visit to the Canfield Fair by governor candidate Dr. Amy Acton, who was speaking to the crowd gathered at the tent. As he was entering the tent, Havas started pushing his way through the crowd.
Acton's security detail, which was made up of Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers, confronted Havas, and as that was happening, two people were knocked to the ground, the sheriff's office report states.One of them was reportedly injured.
Havas was quickly taken into custody by Canfield Fair police officers. After his arrest, two handguns and a set of "brass knuckles" were recovered. Investigators said no weapons were ever brandished or even removed from their holsters.
Detectives with the Mahoning County Sheriff's Office are continuing their investigation into the incident and will be filing charges after consulting with the Mahoning County Prosecutor's Office.
A representative from the Fair Board released the following statement Monday in response to both Sunday incidents:
"Both incidents that occurred yesterday are ongoing investigations that are being handled by multiple jurisdictions. The Canfield Fair Board is not able to comment due to the ongoing nature. The Board is grateful that no one was seriously injured and the parties involved have been detained."
On Monday, Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene issued a plea to the public.
"The Mahoning County Sheriff's Office is seeking the public's help in obtaining cell phone or other video recordings capturing all or part of the incident that occurred Sunday afternoon at the (Mahoning) County Democrat Party tent on the Canfield Fairgrounds. Anyone who recorded either video or still photos of the incident involving Dr. Amy Acton and/or Patrick Havas is urged to contact Chief Deputy Jeff Allen at 330-480-5012 as soon as possible," Greene said in a news release.
Mahoning County Commissioners also released a statement about the Acton incident:
"The Canfield Fair has a long history of being a safe, family-friendly event that brings our community together in a spirit of tradition and celebration. We are deeply troubled by the disruption that occurred at the fairgrounds this afternoon during Dr. Amy Acton's visit. While the motivation and cause of today's incident are still being investigated, we unequivocally do not condone political violence of any kind. We want to extend our deepest gratitude to the Canfield Fair Police, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and the Mahoning County Sheriff's Office for their swift response to neutralize the situation and their continued dedication to keeping Mahoning County safe."
"The Mahoning County Democratic Party abhors political violence in all forms. What happened at our tent today during today's visit from Dr. Acton is reprehensible and should be condemned by leaders on all sides of the aisle," Mahoning County Democratic Party Chairman Chris Anderson said in an email following Sunday's incident. He also said party leaders are grateful for the quick response by local law enforcement officials and the OSHP.
Acton's campaign released the following statement:
"While attending the Canfield Fair, an armed individual lunged at Dr. Acton, injuring multiple people. Dr. Acton and Eric are grateful for the swift and decisive action of law enforcement and are praying for the recovery of those injured. This kind of violence has no place in Ohio. Dr. Acton will always stand up to the chaos, hate and vitriol that pits us against one another," said Addie Bullock, communications director for the Acton campaign.
The Vivek Ramaswamy and Rob McColley for Ohio Campaign released the following statement following the incident:
"Candidates should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence. What happened today is completely unacceptable and has no place in politics, and we hope that no one was hurt," said Connie Luck, communications director for Vivek for Ohio.
Ramaswamy also was at the Canfield Fair on Sunday and was campaigning after the altercation involving Acton.
"The Canfield Fair is a cherished community tradition where families and neighbors should be able to gather safely. This incident is a sobering reminder that political leaders must lower the temperature, reject violent rhetoric and treat the safety of our fellow citizens as a shared responsibility," John Boccieri, Democratic candidate for the Ohio House of Representatives 58th District said in a statement Monday.
Ohio House of Representatives District 59 candidate Wayne Penny Jr. was among the crowd with Boccieri, watching as Acton stopped to help an attendee who was harmed during Sunday's incident.
"I don't care whether the person being threatened is a Democrat, Republican, independent or someone I completely disagree with politically," Penny Jr. said. "We can disagree. We can debate. We can vote differently. We can fight passionately for what we believe in. But we DO NOT hurt one another."