Shooting victims hit with high-powered rifles

Two men were shot and bullets nearly missed a young girl after gunfire erupted Wednesday night in the street along Clifton Avenue.

Key Points:

• 2 men shot in Springfield while in their SUV
• Victims ran into McDonald's on South Limestone Street for help
• Victims transferred to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, are expected to be OK
• No one has been arrested

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DaShawn Leinasars, 19, and William Haney, 33 — both of Springfield — were recovering today from bullet wounds at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton and are expected to survive, according to the Springfield Police Division.

Leinasars took a bullet to the chest that caused a punctured lung and a bullet through the back struck Haney’s spinal cord, police said.

The shooters used high-powered assault rifles. Police believe at least two men fired shots at Leinasars and Haney as they drove in a white SUV. Police are following leads in the investigation, but no suspects have been named, said Sgt. Jeff Flores.

Officers were first dispatched about 9:45 p.m. Wednesday to the 2000 block of Clifton Avenue on reports of shots fired, according to a police incident report.

On the way to Clifton Avenue, a second call alerted officers that two shooting victims were at McDonald’s, 2210 S. Limestone St., and were inside the lobby of the fast-food restaurant.

The two men drove from the scene of the shooting to the restaurant and knocked on the door of the locked lobby for help, police said. McDonald’s employees let them inside when Leinasars and Haney told them they were injured.

Police investigated the two scenes into the early morning hours of Thursday. They collected multiple shell casings from Clifton Avenue, Flores said, and found bullets lodged in nearby homes.

One bullet missed a young girl sitting in her bedroom by inches, he said.

“She just happened to bend down,” said Mor Red, a neighbor of the young girl. “By the grace of God she had a guardian angel behind her to protect her. And when police came they found a bullet behind the chair that she had just bent down in that could have hit her. Could have killed that baby.”

Red heard the gunfire as she sat watching TV and quickly told her children to lie on the ground, she said.

The normally peaceful neighborhood is lucky and grateful that no innocent bystander was shot, Red said.

“It’s careless and they’re not thinking of the consequences of everybody else around them that could get hurt,” she said, then added that the violence in the city needs to stop. “I just want to say to all you young people, stop it, it’s ridiculous. It’s uncalled for, and it’s not safe for no one around.”

Down the street on Clifton, Judy Wise said she could feel the gunfire as it happened right outside of her door. She hopes victims and witnesses give police information to get the shooters off the streets, she said.

“Police are out there trying to protect us, and if you see anything you need to report it to them so that they can check it out,” Wise said.

UPDATE @ 3 p.m. March 12: Several shots were fired along Clifton Avenue, Springfield police said, and struck neighbors houses.

One bullet barely missed striking a young girl who was sitting in her bedroom doing homework at a desk before bed, police said.

The weapon used was a high-powered assault rifle and easily went through neighboring houses, they added.

No weapons have been recovered in the shooting, but police are following leads on information given by witnesses to try to find the shooters.

Witnesses told police at least two black male shooters were seen firing bullets at the two men who were injured and taken to the hospital.

UPDATE @10:15 a.m. March 12: Dashawn Leinasars, 19, of Springfield, and William Haney, 33, of Springfield, have been identified as the shooting victims. Both were taken to Miami Valley Hospital and are expected to survive.

Police responded to the 2000 block of Clifton Avenue on the reports of shots fired around 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, according to the police report. Officers en route to the scene received a second call saying two victims from the shooting were at the McDonald’s on South Limestone Street and had been shot.

UPDATE @ 11:56 p.m. March 11: A second scene is connected to the shooting investigation near the South Limestone Street McDonald's restaurant.

Police have blocked off the intersection of Indiana and Clifton avenues about three blocks from the restaurant.

An evidence technician had marked spots on the street where shell casings from gunshots can be seen.

Also, at least one bullet went through a home in the 2000 block of Clifton Avenue. There were no additional reports of injuries.

UPDATE @ 11:21 p.m. March 11: Two men who were shot tonight inside a white SUV fled the vehicle and ran inside a McDonald's restaurant to get help, according to Springfield police.

The men were taken to Springfield Regional Medical Center, and are in serious condition, police said.

The incident happened just before 10 p.m. along East Lansdowne Avenue near South Limestone Street.

UPDATE @ 10:58 p.m. March 11: An SUV next to McDonald's has its engine running and two front doors ajar.

Springfield police surrounded the sport-utllity vehicle with yellow crime scene tape. It is stopped on East Lansdowne Avenue, next to the restaurant on South Limestone Street.

According to a McDonald’s worker, two men, who were brothers or cousins, came into the restaurant to get help. Both were suffering from gunshot wounds and were taken away by ambulances.

A woman who lives nearby said she heard at least six gunshots ring out.

The incident happened around 9:45 p.m., according to Clark County dispatchers.

UPDATE @ 10:31 p.m. March 11: Springfield police were seen putting yellow crime scene tape around a McDonald's restaurant, 2210 S. Limestone St.

FIRST REPORT

City police are investigating a shooting tonight.

A portion of South Limestone Street is blocked as police investigate the incident.

Springfield police dispatchers were not able to confirm how many people were shot, nor the extent of any injuries suffered.

We are on the way and will update this report as we learn more details.