CINCINNATI — Questions about safety and security at The Banks have emerged after witnesses reported a shooting in the area early Sunday morning. While the shooting occurred during the 21-and-older restrictions at The Banks' main plaza, no security guards were seen.
Patrons inside Killer Queen described a moment of panic when gunshots were heard. The bar closed its windows as several people took cover on the ground while others ran outside. At Tin Roof, bouncers kept people inside and secured the doors after hearing gunshots.
WCPO 9 News contacted Cincinnati police to determine if someone was shot. Lt. Jonathan Cunningham confirmed a man was shot around 1 a.m. Sunday near 3rd and Walnut Street. However, this timeline and area contradict witness accounts, who reported the incident occurring between 1:30-1:40 a.m. Sunday.
We also reached out to The Banks management to find out what happened to the security guards that night. In a statement to WCPO 9 News, a spokesperson said:
"Due to a disturbance on the west side of Freedom Way, a large crowd came into the pedestrian-only plaza area that is 21-plus from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. and broke through the barriers managed by private security teams. It was decided to not reset the barriers for the balance of the evening to ensure crowd safety."
WATCH: Shots fired raise safety concerns at The Banks
In April, WCPO 9 News reported that The Banks had implemented restrictions on its public plaza area, limiting access to people 21 and older after 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. This policy took effect on Friday, April 25. The restrictions apply to the public plaza area on Freedom Way between Joe Nuxhall Way and Marian Spencer Way/Walnut Street, ending at Marian Spencer Way.
The Banks' business association secured special event permits to allow the age restriction and fully funded the initiative through private funds, according to Tracy Schwegmann with The Banks. The estimated cost is about $250,000.
At the time, Dan Norrish, a retiree who lives in an apartment above The Banks' main plaza, told WCPO 9 News he supported the changes.
"It's way overdue. They needed to do it," he said. "I mean, because you got a lot of young professionals living here, but you also got old folks like me living down here, and you just want to walk around and just enjoy the environment."
Norrish told us he occasionally observes large groups of young people gathering near The Banks' main plaza from his living room window.
"It's just intimidating. These kids cluster in 20 to 30 in a pack. Sometimes they fight amongst each other," he said.
Jim Moehring, owner of Holy Grail, also told us then that the new security detail was something several owners at The Banks had been discussing for years.
"It's just an added layer of protection for our customers. The frustrating part with these kids is they are not our customers. They don't pretend to be our customers, don't want to be our customers," Moehring said. "We don't want them to be customers at night either. As a perception, I think it'll just make people feel more secure."
WCPO is continuing to investigate what led to the security breach this past weekend and what measures might be implemented to prevent similar incidents.
After this past weekend's apparent security breach, The Banks representatives told WCPO 9 News they're constantly working to improve customer safety and are in ongoing discussions with the Cincinnati Police Department about enhancing security measures.
