The proprietor of a Essential Avenue bar mentioned his worker was an harmless bystander when gunfire erupted Downtown Sunday.
Cincinnati police reported a 37-year-old man was discovered shot within the 600 block of Essential Avenue simply earlier than midnight June 29. He was taken to an space hospital with accidents that weren’t life threatening, officers mentioned
The proprietor of Bay Horse Cafe, Kyle Smith, advised The Enquirer it was his doorman who was grazed within the leg by a bullet.
Smith mentioned surveillance digicam footage from the bar reveals it may have been a street rage incident between two drivers on Essential Avenue. He mentioned the footage reveals a pink SUV slammed on its brakes and a black automobile swerved round it earlier than the drivers started exchanging gunfire.
The entrance window of the Bay Horse Cafe was boarded up after the proprietor says a capturing occurred between two drivers on Essential Avenue June 29.
There have been about 10 gunshots complete, Smith mentioned, 4 of which entered his institution, breaking the entrance window glass. Smith mentioned he spent all evening within the hospital together with his doorman after one bullet grazed his leg, however he is anticipated to be okay.
Police mentioned some on the scene additionally reported minor accidents as a result of damaged glass.
Chief Theetge: This is the highest precedence for Cincinnati’s new police job pressure
The capturing on Essential Avenue, only a block over from the Aronoff Heart, comes throughout what Mayor Aftab Pureval has known as an “unacceptable rise in crime” throughout Cincinnati. Police Chief Teresa Theetge has attributed a lot of it to minors, telling The Enquirer in a current interview she is beginning a roving job pressure to proactively goal crime scorching spots.
Smith mentioned security is his primary precedence on the bar, which reopened in April after altering house owners and caters to a service-establishment crowd.
“I have been working Downtown for eight-and-a-half years,” Smith mentioned. “It is by no means been this dangerous.”
Cincinnati police didn’t reveal any further particulars about why the capturing occurred. The investigation remains to be underway.
Latest knowledge reveals continued uptick in violent, property crime Downtown
Each violent and property crimes have seen a big enhance Downtown this year-to-date. Thus far this 12 months in Downtown, in line with neighborhood crime knowledge as much as June 29, there have been:
-
30 robberies, in comparison with 18 by this level in 2024 and a mean of 12.67 over the previous three years.
-
56 burglaries/breaking-and-entering incidents, in comparison with 21 by this level in 2024 and a mean of 23.67 over the previous three years.
-
242 auto thefts, in comparison with 133 by this level in 2024 and a mean of 130 over the previous three years.
The Bay Horse Cafe doorman is the tenth individual shot in Downtown up to now this 12 months, in line with a metropolis dashboard final up to date June 24. By this time final 12 months, there had been six folks shot Downtown.
What’s that within the sky? Cincinnati police take to sky with new drone unit, anticipated to cowl metropolis by 12 months’s finish
Total, reported shootings are down in Cincinnati this 12 months in comparison with the variety of shootings presently final 12 months. In 2024, there have been 135 reported shootings by this level within the 12 months, metropolis knowledge reveals.
Nevertheless, the variety of folks killed in shootings citywide has remained fixed. Thus far in 2025, there have been 30 folks killed in shootings, the identical by this level final 12 months.
Town publishes dashboards of crime statistics for public security and different subjects, which it updates on a semi-regular foundation. The Cincinnati police crime analytics division additionally publishes crime knowledge by neighborhood, which it typically updates weekly.
This text initially appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: ‘By no means been this dangerous:’ Downtown capturing close to bar newest in crime uptick
