What We Know About Cincinnati Shooting So Far

The shooting in Cincinnati yesterday was yet another in a string of mass shootings that first started almost a year ago. Through it all, though, there’s been one unifying thread. The media has continued to advance the idea that these are the result of lax gun laws rather than anything else, despite learning that studies claiming the United States has an inordinate amount of mass shootings are flawed in the extreme.

Advertisement

Unfortunately, they’re still happening and even if we aren’t the world leader in them, that’s no reason to not want to combat them.

What happened in Cincinnati was a tragedy, but it’s surprising it’s not getting a good bit more attention. For example, my social media feed almost completely lacked mention of the attack. Why?

Well, the killer was a Hispanic male, which goes against the narrative.

At least three men were killed and two other people were injured when a gunman opened fire at the Fifth Third Center in the city’s popular Fountain Square just as the workday began on Thursday. When four police officers arrived, they shot the suspect through glass windows and killed him, Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac said.

“This could have been a bloodbath beyond imagination,” said Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters, CNN affiliate WLWT reported.

The suspect, [name redacted], had a pistol and more than 200 rounds of ammunition, police said.

Emergency personnel and police respond to a reported active shooter situation near Fountain Square on Thursday.
But much is still unclear about the 29-year-old suspect.

But there’s also a fair bit we know about the guy as well.

Advertisement

For example, we know he was arrested in Greenville, SC in 2014 after he refused to leave a former employer’s property.

“The suspect appeared to be upset and disoriented,” the report states. “When I would ask the suspect questions he would respond with strange answers. The suspect mumbled something about the war and the economy, but for the most part talked about that he was upset that he was terminated.”

The report states [he] began to cry and refused an officer’s commands. Backup was called. He clenched his fists and backed away from officers to refuse being placed into handcuffs.

“We then took the suspect to the ground. The suspect landed on his stomach and was quickly placed into handcuffs without further incident,” the report states.

Apparently, the guy bounced around jobs a lot. Based on his behavior prior to his arrest, it’s not difficult to see why.

A lot of questions are invariably revolving around the weapon the gunman used. In this case, a 9 mm handgun. Cincinnati.com reports that it does appear the firearm was purchased legally. It also appears that despite his previous run-ins with the law, there was nothing in his background to warrant barring him from owning a firearm.

Advertisement

Don’t be surprised if that starts to change.

However, a lot of this goes against the current narrative, which suggests it will disappear from the media’s radar almost immediately. The killer isn’t a white male, for one. He also didn’t use an AR-15. There’s little here that can advance the current anti-gun push backed by the media, so expect this one to disappear.

Especially with the Kavanaugh confirmation going on. They’ll pretend that they’re prioritizing the confirmation over the shooting, but we all know that if this were perpetrated with an AR-15, the story would be different, even if the number of dead and injured was exactly the same.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Advertisement
Advertisement