COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Security camera footage of the Bicentennial Park shooting exists after all.
Hours after Mayor Andrew Ginther said that cameras were not working at the time of a shooting that left a 16-year-old girl dead, an official from the city Recreation and Parks Department confirmed Monday that they were and that the footage is being reviewed by police.
The parks official said that the connection to allow the footage to be viewed remotely was down but that it was preserved. The connection had been down for a few weeks, with maintenance yet to address the issue.
The cameras at the park are focused on restrooms and fountains, the official said.
Any footage may be of use to police, who are continuing to look for leads. Five other teenagers were injured, and 16-year-old Olivia Kurtz was killed.
Ginther, along with interim police chief Michael Woods and deputy chief Tim Becker, gave updates on the shooting, which occurred about 11:50 p.m. Saturday at the park’s amphitheater.
Woods said that as officers worked to secure the scene and identify those were who injured that many potential witnesses fled.
He is asking those who may have seen something or taken video of the incident to contact police.
“We know a lot of people have information and we believe, based upon our experience, that there will be video that was taken at that scene and we believe that video will help us with this investigation,” Woods said. “It’s critically important that if a parent knows their child was there to have that discussion with them, and if they discover any type of video or any information that they have, please reach out to us and provide us that information.”
Becker confirmed that one of the shooting victims, 19-year-old Nave Dowe, was the same person who helped locate a missing baby during a city-wide Amber Alert in February.
Anyone with information may contact the Columbus police homicide unit at 614-645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-8477.