Good morning, Cincinnati! Here are your morning headlines.
• Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters yesterday released video footage of the June 19 Madisonville shooting of Cincinnati Police Officer Sonny Kim. The video from Officer Tom Sandmann's dash cam shows suspect Trepierre Hummons charging off screen while Officer Kim is seen lying on the ground with Hummons' mother kneeling beside him in an attempt to aid him. Hummons was fatally shot by Officer Sandmann, which is not seen in the video, but the video appears to support the notion that Sandmann acted according to police procedure as Hummons apparently had already shot Officer Kim. Deters praised Officer Sandmann's response for stopping what he believed was an attempt at mass murder by Hummons and said Sandmann won't face charges. The case never went before a grand jury because Deters said he found Officer Sandmann's reaction justified.
Deters released two versions of the dash cam footage yesterday: one 50 minutes uncensored and one shorter pixelated version which blurs out Officer Kim lying on the ground, which was played at the press conference. Deters has waited more than five months after the shooting to release the video because of the ongoing investigation into the incident, which is now closed. The case has sparked some attention for when the appropriate time is to release footage of officer involved shootings after the body camera footage of former University of Cincinnati Police Officer Ray Tensing was released just two weeks after he fatally shot unarmed motorist Samuel Dubose on July 19.
• One of Cincinnati's bridges could be in line for a federally funded multi-million dollar makeover. The Brent Spence Bridge project could possibly get hundreds of millions of dollars from a five-year $281-million transportation bill. The bridge is one of the many connecting Ohio to Kentucky and is a priority of the business community to fix as it is a constant source of congestion and is functionally obsolete, but remains a necessary daily route for transporting many goods. The feds will not foot the bill for the entire cost of the project, which is at an estimated $2.6 billion, and the Greater Cincinnati area will have to match the funds, which might mean charging tolls.
• The Cincinnati chapter of the NAACP has elected Robert Richardson, Jr. as its new president. The chapter, faced with legal troubles, hasn't functioned in a year. Richardson will be the first leader since 2012. The race to become the newest leader of the historic organization that represents minorities wasn't hard for Richardson, as his name was the only one on the ballot. According to the Enquirer, he's hoping his team will restore focus on civil rights issues facing the city.
• It's finally winter, my least favorite season. If you planning on surviving the next few months like me by curling up with an alcoholic beverage to pass the miserable days of snow and ice, there's good news. Local brewery MadTree announced that it's at capacity and looking for a new facility. Its co-founder Kenny McNutt says he's eyeing the old RockTenn Co. paper mill in Oakley as the next potential brewing spot. McNutt apparently underestimated Cincinnati's diehard love of beer and says the company has grown a lot faster than anticipated. The company hasn't said what will happen to its original home on Kennedy Avenue, and there's no timeline yet for when they are planning to relocate.
• But if drinking in locally run businesses is not your style, well, Starbucks has also applied for permits to serve beer, wine and liquor at its new location in the recently opened Liberty Center. The giant coffee chain is trying out an evening concept and would actually include local brews, too. Starbucks has applied for liquor permits in other Ohio cities like Dayton, Columbus, Cleveland and Toledo.
• By now, you've probably heard of the horrific mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, which happened yesterday morning around 11 a.m. Police have identified two suspects, Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27, who reportedly walked into a social services center and killed 14 and wounded 17 during an office holiday party. Farook reportedly worked at the center. The couple was killed several hours later after a shootout with local police.
The New York Times reported that more than one mass shooting per day happens on average in the U.S. As we near the end of 2015, 462 people have died in American mass shootings and 1,314 have been injured, including the tragedy that happened yesterday. They have an interesting analysis you can check out here.
Stay warm and email me any story tips to [email protected].
