Boy killed in Cincinnati shooting that wounded 5, say police

CINCINNATI — An 11-year-old boy was killed and five other people were wounded in a shooting in Cincinnati, police said.

The gunfire was reported just before 9:30 p.m. Friday on the West End and responding officers found six people with various levels of injury, Cincinnati Police Chief Terri Theetge said. One was pronounced dead. Theetge said a couple of the victims were juveniles.

“This is absolutely unacceptable in our city — unacceptable that on a Friday night six people were shot in one incident,” she said.

Three victims were taken to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and two to University of Cincinnati Hospital, police said. Cincinnati Children’s said Saturday that all three patients were in critical condition when they came in. One patient was discharged overnight and the other two remained hospitalized with their conditions unchanged.

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval called it “a horrific tragedy” and added “Children were shot. At least one life was lost.”

“Our friends and neighbors are feeling unimaginable fear, trauma, and anger,” Pureval said, vowing to “give everything we have to deliver justice against this sickening, heartless violence.”

Theetge said she shared the anger of residents in the area about the violence.

“This is happening too often,” she said. “People are reverting to gun violence rather than resolving disputes in a humane manner. It is not humane to pull out a firearm and shoot individuals recklessly.”