Police continue to investigate what led to the Cincinnati shootings killing 4 Sunday morning

CINCINNATI — Eighteen people were reportedly shot, four of them dead, after multiple shootings occurred in Cincinnati early Sunday morning.

Three of the shootings happened within just 90 minutes of each other, police say.

Below is a reported timeline of each shooting and what we know so far.

First Shooting (around 12 a.m.): Police arrived at Lincoln and Gilbert Avenue in Walnut Hills and found that three people were injured in a shooting in the Over-the-Rhine area of Cincinnati. No fatalities have been reported in connection to this incident, according to WCPO-TV.

Second Shooting (12:34 a.m.): Officers were dispatched to the 700 block of Chalfonte Place after receiving reports of multiple people shot. When they arrived, they found one victim, Antonio Blair, 21, who was suffering from gunshot wounds. Blair was taken to the hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries. Investigators say three other victims were shot at Chalfonte Place.

“Just recently we had a number of shootings,” said Charles, a resident of Avondale.

“We just feel like we are ready for people to come together and to support each other with the type of things that we are doing like cookouts we are doing for the whole community,” he said.

Third Shooting (2:15 a.m.): Later, officers responded to reports of multiple victims suffering from gunshot wounds. Investigators arrived at 70 East McMicken Avenue and found one victim dead at the scene. Another victim was taken to Cincinnati Medical Center where he died from his injuries. The two victims in the shooting have been identified as Robert Rogers, 34, and Jaquiez Grant, 30. At least eight other people were reportedly injured in the shooting, according to our partners at WCPO-TV.

“My kids like to sleep in the living room and my window is right there,” said Caria Baker a resident of the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood near Grant Park where some of the shootings occurred Sunday morning.

“I don’t want a bullet to come through a window and accidentally hit one of my kids.”

Fourth Shooting (7:44 a.m.): The fourth and final shooting reported to police took place in the 1500 block of Linn Street in the West End. Myron Green, 39, was found dead at the scene when police arrived.

“We are going to take this bad situation and we are going to turn it around,” Christal Watson said, Green’s aunt.

Green’s family told News Center 7′s Ronnell Hunt that he was involved in the community and was a youth football coach. Although his life was cut short, the family hopes to continue his mission of giving back.

“We are going to continue to do what he was doing. We are going to make sure his children are okay. We are going to make sure they know how much he loved them. How much he fought to turn it around so he can be a positive role model for his children,” Watson said.

News Center 7′s Sean Cudahy spoke with a pastor who lives near where the shootings happened.

Rev. Peterson Mingo of Christ Temple Full Gospel Baptist Church said he went to the U.C. Medical Center to help the victim’s loved ones.

“There were about 300 people there. So we went about gathering information from those who were there and even talking to hospital personnel,” the Rev. Mingo said. “You never can predict this and it’s upsetting, definitely upsetting, because I saw a lot of people at the hospital who I knew, knew their families and even knew the deceased in passing. It’s disturbing. It lets us know there’s more work to be done.”

Rev. Mingo said he spent a lot of time talking with families, and tried to provide them with whatever they needed in the midst of a chaotic and stressful situation.

The Cincinnati Police Department is investigating each reported shooting as a separate incident.

“This amount of gun violence and the damage this has inflicted on our neighborhoods is unacceptable,” said Eliot K. Isaac, Cincinnati Police Chief.

“I am calling on all citizens of this great city to say enough is enough. We must not sit by silently and say we can’t do anything to end gun violence. We all have a moral obligation to stop the violence and stop the killing in our communities.”

The Cincinnati Police Department is working to identify who is responsible for the shootings.

“What we have is one extremely violent night in the city of Cincinnati,” said Assistant Chief Paul Neudigate with the Cincinnati Police Department.

“Why? That’s going to be the question and we just don’t know,” he said.

“These all seem to be separate, independent incidents but horrific and tragic that we have this much violence and potential for this much loss of life in our city.”

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issued a statement in a Tweet Sunday afternoon.

“Last night Cincinnati saw senseless gun violence that ruined lives and will cause immeasurable suffering,” said John Cranley, Mayor of Cincinnati.

“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are facing unprecedented circumstances and challenges when it comes to fighting crime. These issues and this surge are not unique to Cincinnati. Cities nationwide are experiencing spikes in crime. During COVID-19 we have seen a huge increase in shootings as large numbers of people with guns are gathering in private homes and public places - like Grant park - when the bars close at 10 p.m. Guns are far too prevalent at these gatherings because you could end up as an innocent victim.”

“Let me be very clear, the responsibility for these shootings lies with the shooters - it is attempted or actual murder. We will bring the shooters to justice. I am also calling on everyone to help put an end this culture of resolving person disputes with guns as well as to reduce the far too prevalent availability of illegal guns on our streets,” he continued.

“Today and over the course of the last several weeks, Chief Isaac and I have discussed what community efforts and additional resources can be deployed immediately to address crime in the wake of the pandemic. I support his plan to have increased resources and presence in problem areas, and we will work with our community partners on new solutions.”

“The very said reality is people are getting in trouble when they have nowhere to go and nothing to do. Our police are working very hard to bring the shooters to justice and try to suppress this violence. They will put themselves in harm’s way to protect us all and they need our support,” Cranley stated.

Cincinnati officers from other assignments will be shifted to augment the number of uniformed officers in these affected communities, the police department stated in a news release.

They will also be using existing partnerships with the United States Attorney’s Office and ATF to focus on repeat shooters and aggressively bring illegal gun charges to address this escalation of gun violence in the city of Cincinnati.

Cox Media Group