Many of you have heard of the incident where a man was arrested for spraying someone outside his business with a water hose. This publication (financegeek.org) obtained more information about the official account of what happened.
Jan 9 2023 12:23pm from Officer T1:
Police officers T1 and T2 respond to scene. Officers K, A, and M already on scene.
Officer T1 observed multiple people in the area and observed a known transient X sitting down on the sidewalk of Washington St and Columbus Ave. Officer T1 has dealt with X on prior occasions and was familiar with her.
Officer K was speaking with suspect, Shannon Collier Gwin. Gwin advised Officer K he sprayed X with the hose while cleaning the street.
Officer T1 met with X, who did not appear injured. X had many articles of clothing on her which appeared wet. X refused Officer T1’s ofer of medical assistance. X advised Officer T she was fine and did not wish to speak with him further.
Officer T1 met with witness Shareef Elsayed, who was standing within eyesight of X and Gwin.
Elsayed stated the following: Elsayed was walking with his girlfriend when he observed Gwin spraying water from a hose onto X, who was sitting on sidewalk outside. X was telling Gwin to stop. Elsayed did not now what transpired before Gwin sprayed X but did not observe any altercations that led up to it. Elsayed called for police.
Officer T1 returned to X and asked her if she wished to pursue criminal charges on Gwin regarding the spraying, but she did not wish to do so.
Officer T1 met with Gwin and told him he should not be spraying X with water. Gwin stated he sprayed X because X was making a mess and Gwin was attempting to clean the street.
Due to X not wishing to pursue charges on Gwin for battery, he was not cited.
Officer K requested SCRT to provide assistance to X.
Officer K:
On Monday, January 9, 2023, at approximately 1217 hours, Officer K was working in full and driving a marked police vehicle when Officer K responded on a report of an assault involving a person being sprayed with a hose. Central Officers T1 and Officer T2, and Officers A and M also responded to assist.
As Officer K arrived on scene Officer K was approached before he could exit his vehicle by Shareef Elsayed, who told him in summary that while he walking, observed a man in a grey T-shirt, as he pointed in the direction of a man later identified Shannon Gwin, who was spraying a homeless woman with a hose.
Officer K exited the police vehicle and activated body cam. Officer K was approached by Gwin and three other citizens/business owners who told me that they had a history of problems concerning the homeless woman, later identified as X. As officer T arrived, Officer K instructed him to check on the condition of X.
Officer K met with Gwin who gave me the following summarized statement:
Gwin told me that he has had many issues with X, and he explained that he has tried to help her Wthe past by letting her stay in the doorway of his business when it is raining. Gwin stated that the police were called to his location earlier the same morning (CAD 230090704) to assist in moving X out of his doorway so he could clean his business front and open his business. He said that police were able to convince her to move from the doorway to the sidewalk however she was still in front of his business. Gwin explained that he was spraying the hose to clean the sidewalk and his storefront and that she may have gotten wet. Officer K instructed Gwin that in the future he should call the police instead of taking matters into his own hands. Gwin expressed his frustration regarding lack of city services for homeless issues and detailed how he had tried to help X in the past.
Officer K was informed by Officer T that X did not wish to press charges for battery. I briefly met with X and informed her that SCRT would come to help her. X refused city services however Officer K instructed X to stay where she was so that she could be located.
More details coming soon about the arrest and the details around that!