'Not a joke': Huber Heights mayor condemns illegal mortar detonation during fireworks event
Police are continuing to investigate after the June 28 explosion injured two juveniles.
The subsequent crowd reaction caused a hectic scene, as attendees to the annual Fourth of July celebration fled the area, city officials say.
Officials have declined to speculate on potential motives behind the incident as interviews of both suspects and witnesses are ongoing.
However, during a Wednesday afternoon press conference, Gore stressed that officials are taking the incident seriously.
"We're not considering this a prank at all ... setting off an explosive device in a public area is not a prank, it's not a joke, and we take it extremely seriously," he said.
Additional details about suspects and charges will be forthcoming as the investigation unfolds, Huber Heights Police Chief Mark Lightner said.
City officials will meet to determine what, if any, additional safety measures can be put in place in the future, City Manager John Russell said Wednesday.
But Russell assured that the Star Spangled Heights event is still on for 2026.
"I think the biggest takeaway from this is we don't want incidents like this to deter us from having other events," Russell said. "I said to our staff yesterday that I want to know what our best options are moving forward to make sure the citizens are safe and we can still have this celebration."
City officials also gave a brief update Wednesday about the report of shots fired at Waffle House early Sunday, just hours after the explosion incident.
The unrelated incident took place around 3 a.m., when an officer was patrolling the area near Waffle House, located at 5600 Executive Blvd., as calls about a potential shooting were simultaneously coming into dispatch.
The patrolling officer, initially unaware of the reported shooting, pulled into the restaurant's parking lot and observed "numerous" individuals fleeing the scene on foot, along with a white Hyundai SUV leaving the lot, according to reports.
The patrolman ran the SUV's license plate, discovering the vehicle had been entered as stolen. A pursuit ensued but was eventually terminated.
"Since then, our detectives have identified both the shooter and the person targeted; they are currently working to locate these individuals and determine if others were involved," Gore said.
The shooting took place in the restaurant parking lot and there were no reported injuries, Lightner said.
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