Columbus parks and community centers prepared should more gun violence occur this summer

Jed Dearing was at a tumbling class with his 3-year-old son at the Westgate Community Center on May 4 when almost 20 gunshots went off outside.

In the parking lot between the community center and Westgate Park's tennis courts, Columbus police said gunfire had erupted about 6:30 p.m. in a large crowd gathered to watch two males fight. Jessey Osorio, 19, was killed and a 17-year-old male was wounded.

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Inside the community center, the staff was swift in its response — locking down the building, leading the children in activities to keep them engaged, and communicating clearly with the adults about the situation.

Eight minutes after dropping her daughter off for a gymnastics class at the community center, Tesa Hutcheison got a call from her saying that the building was on lockdown because of a shooting outside.

"It makes you nervous," the 38-year-old Galloway woman said.

While such concern is absolutely understandable, Dearing, 39, of Westgate, said the quick actions of the community center staff that evening allayed the fears of many present.

“Their calm and professionalism should be celebrated,” Dearing said.

Preparing for the worst

The city Department of Recreation and Parks says its staff is prepared through training to respond to such gun violence incidents in city parks in those rare instances when they occur.

Dominique Shank, the community relations chief for the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department, said the staff at park community centers are trained annually in June, and others working at summer camps attend. The training covers various topics, including de-escalation and violence/active shooter situations.

The training is conducted by a variety of people, including the citywide safety officer and the internal safety officer. The training, Shank said, uses real-life examples and includes best practices. Every real-life crisis situation, Shank said, “is different and unique to the circumstances.”

When the shooting took place at Westgate Park, for example, Shank said some members of the community center staff were outside conducting a program with teens who were not directly involved in the incident.

“The shooting occurred, and staff immediately reacted positively – getting as many people inside and on lockdown as quickly as possible,” Shank said. “Once the Columbus Division of Police arrived, we deferred to their direction.”

The training has been especially important this year. Unrelated shootings at four separate Columbus parks in a three-week period ending May 14 led to a total of three dead and two others wounded — including an 8-year-old girl.

In addition to Osorio's death in Westgate Park, 20-year-old Masonique Saunders was shot and killed at Saunders Park on the Near East Side, and 19-year-old Damarion Dawson was killed at Nafzger Park on the Southeast Side in two separate, unrelated shootings on April 23.

On May 14, an 8-year-old girl was critically wounded when she was shot in the abdomen when a fight broke out between two groups of women armed with knives and mace at Weinland Park on the North Side. According to court documents, the girl was struck by a warning shot that was fired.

This spring, the Department of Recreation and Parks required all community recreation center teams to run through with staff various emergency scenarios, including active-shooter situations.

Shank also said the department places emphasis on de-escalation training. Some members of staff who have already received training have trained others in de-escalation skills.

"Things have changed; the world has changed, especially with teenagers," Shank said. "It’s not the same environment as in 2017 compared to today.”

The gun violence has led Columbus officials to launch additional summertime initiatives that include overtime pay to put police in the parks and the installation of temporary cameras and lights.

The Department of Recreation and Parks did not make a staff member available to The Dispatch for an interview.

Two of the recent shootings, at Westgate and Weinland parks, began as group fights that ended with gunfire. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Kelley, who’s been involved in the prosecution of the T&A Crips and other local gangs, said in October that many fights seem to be increasingly escalating to gunfire.

“That is then exponentially that much more with tragic results, because it seems like everyone is armed … including, unfortunately, a lot of juveniles,” Kelley said.

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A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found that increased crime in parks and near homes was associated with fewer park visits, and greater violent crime in general was related to fewer park visits. Park ratings were lower for parks with high violent crime rates.

A focused effort

Bernita Reese, director of the Columbus Division of Recreation and Parks, told The Dispatch on May 24 that she is confident that city parks are — and will remain — safe.

“There’s so many good things that happen in the parks,” Reese said. “I was out at the park last night … and just to watch the interaction with children on the basketball court at 7 p.m. at night, a wonderful thing. So yes, you may have some things, but there’s so many good things, and I look forward to seeing the good parts because there’s so much."

In several recent press conferences, Mayor Andrew J. Ginther and other city officials have laid out their plans to marshal the city's resources to drive down violent crime this summer, which Ginther said "is traditionally a time of higher crime, so we need to do all we can to keep our residents safe."

While she did not want to comment directly on the four shootings in April and May at city parks, Reese told The Dispatch she looks forward to additional assistance from the city and Columbus police in ensuring safety in the parks.

“I am confident our parks are good, and I appreciate the support from all other departments,” Reese said.

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The city announced a memorandum of understanding that allows the Columbus Division of Police to pay officers to work overtime in parks on weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day. It allows up to 40 additional officers in high-visibility areas to assist regularly scheduled patrols.

The city also passed an ordinance to spend up to $500,000 to rent temporary lights and security cameras from Street Smart Rentals, which the city says will  be put in place at more than 20 city parks within three weeks.

Earlier this month, Assistant Chief Greg Bodker told The Dispatch that due to an ongoing police officer shortage “officers might not be in the park as much as we might like them to be. There's a lot of streets and neighborhoods to patrol in addition to the parks."  

Cole Behrens is a reporter at The Columbus Dispatch covering public safety and breaking news. You can reach him at CBehrens@dispatch.com or find him on Twitter at @Colebehr_report.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus parks and community centers prepared for summer violence