Fountain Square businesses to reopen Friday after shooting in heart of Cincinnati

Fountain Square — the heart of Cincinnati’s downtown — remains closed to pedestrians as police continue to investigate a shooting that left four dead, including the shooter, and injured several others.

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A number of businesses on Fountain Square, including Graeter’s Ice Cream and Rock Bottom Brewery, are closed today, according to Tricia Suit, vice president of marketing for Downtown Cincinnati Inc.

“We’re working with the city and Fifth Third on how to get people to come back downtown and benefit the businesses that were closed today,” she said.

The weekly Salsa on the Square event has also been cancelled for tonight, she said.

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Other businesses on Fountain Square, such as Servatii’s and Potbelly Sandwiches, were closed during the noon lunch rush today. Those businesses typically close each day by late afternoon, according to Suit.

Nearby hotels, such as the Westin, have their Fountain Square entrances blocked off, but Suit said there has been no other impact on the guests staying in those hotels.

All of the Fountain Square businesses should be open on Friday, she said.

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“Cincinnati is still a safe city,” Suit said. “(Today’s shooting) does not mean that downtown is unsafe. We’re only dealing with what has happened in other cities.

According to Downtown Cincinnati Inc., 20,000 people live in downtown Cincinnati and another 60,000 work in the downtown area.

On any given day, Suit estimated there are 80,000 to 90,000 in the downtown district.

There were 26.6 million visitors to the Cincinnati area in 2017, according to Downtown Cincinnati Inc.

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