Man dead, stepson in custody after South Fairmount shooting

Cameron Knight, Erin Couch and Jeanne Houck, Cincinnati Enquirer
Updated ·2 min read
Mourners gather outside of the scene of a suspected homicide at 1748 Queen City Ave. in the South Fairmount neighborhood of Cincinnati on Monday.
Mourners gather outside of the scene of a suspected homicide at 1748 Queen City Ave. in the South Fairmount neighborhood of Cincinnati on Monday.

The Hamilton County Coroner's Office has identified the man fatally shot in South Fairmount Monday afternoon as James Hicks, 43.

Hicks is the stepfather of the man charged with his murder, 27-year-old Johntyn Kirkland, according to Cincinnati police.

Police also charged Kirkland with having weapons unlawfully because he has been convicted of aggravated robbery in the past.

When Kirkland was 17, he pleaded guilty after being charged with the robbery as an adult. Prosecutors said he held multiple victims at gunpoint and took their keys and a purse. He was sentenced to eight years in prison and was released in 2021, according to the Ohio Department of Corrections.

He is still on probation and under supervision for this offense, state records show.

Kirkland is in the Hamilton County Justice Center and set to be arraigned Tuesday morning in Hamilton County Municipal Court.

Police responded to an apartment building in the 1700 block of Queen City Avenue Monday after a family member of Hicks called police asking for a welfare check at the address, Lt. Col. Lisa Davis said.

Davis said the caller had knowledge of the shooting and information from the call led to a quick arrest of Kirkland.

Both Hicks and Kirkland live in that Queen City Avenue block, according to the coroner and to Hamilton County court records.

Police officers stand behind caution tape marking off several houses outside of the scene of a suspected homicide at 1748 Queen City Ave. in the South Fairmount neighborhood of Cincinnati on Monday,
Police officers stand behind caution tape marking off several houses outside of the scene of a suspected homicide at 1748 Queen City Ave. in the South Fairmount neighborhood of Cincinnati on Monday,

Criminal complaints filed in court say Kirkland shot Hicks in the chest with a handgun. He was carrying a Taurus GX4 9mm semi-automatic handgun, a complaint states.

The charges against Kirkland are based on a police investigation, witness statements and evidence at the scene, the complaints say.

Jail records say Kirkland also is being held on an unrelated holder because a police agency wants access to him. No details are provided.

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As officers worked the scene Monday, about 10 people sobbed and embraced outside the graffiti-covered apartment building.

This is the 28th fatal shooting in Cincinnati so far this year. Four other people have been wounded in shootings in South Fairmount since the beginning of the year.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Man arrested in fatal shooting of his stepfather in South Fairmount