CINCINNATI -- A gunman pushed his niece into the line of fire during a shootout in Cincinnati early Monday, according to an assistant prosecutor.
That woman, 21-year-old Diamond Green, lay dead on the pavement near Walnut and Liberty streets when a photographer for Scripps station WCPO in Cincinnati arrived a few minutes later.
Police arrested her uncle, 34-year-old Johnathan Green, Monday evening. Another suspect, 36-year-old Taureen Rice, was arrested hours earlier. Both had been shot themselves, and police believe they knew each other.
Taureen Rice
At a court hearing Tuesday, Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor David Wood relayed how Johnathan Green was Diamond's uncle, and how he'd pushed her into harm's way "to save himself."
He has 20 prior felony convictions, Wood said.
Municipal Court Judge Curt Kissinger set bond for Green and Rice at $1 million a piece: $500,000 for a murder charge, and $500,000 for a felonious assault charge.
Investigators said they got a break in the case from surveillance cameras -- and they insisted the neighborhood was safe despite a recent spike in fatal shootings.
"These incidents and shooting activity used to happen on a daily basis in Over-the-Rhine when we were young cops," Assistant Chief Paul Neudigate said. "Now, when it happens, it is an anomaly for Over-the-Rhine, and we want to keep it that way."
Just a day earlier, two people were shot about a block away, near 15th and Moore streets. One victim then collapsed on Liberty. Both victims were taken to University of Cincinnati Medical Center. One of them -- Sherrard Dunlap, 36 -- was pronounced dead.
The other victim's name and condition have not been released.
Less than 48 hours earlier, officers found 21-year-old Thomas Maul Jr. with a gunshot wound on East Clifton Avenue. Firefighters pronounced him dead at the scene Friday night.
And on Wednesday, someone shot and killed 57-year-old James Able near Green and Race streets.
Police said they are planning a high-visibility patrol strategy to prevent further violence. That includes walking patrols and bike patrols. Capt. Lisa Davis, commander of Cincinnati Police District One, said the violence was linked to "some different games, some risky behavior."
"I am not going to tolerate it, and my staff is not going to tolerate it," Davis said.
