Good morning all. Here’s the news today. The biggest story is the possible release of a grand jury decision and/or body camera footage in the case of Samuel Dubose.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters has scheduled a 1 p.m. news conference about the death of Dubose at the hands of University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing July 19. Deters has confirmed he will release the body camera footage of the shooting today, and may announce the results of a grand jury probe into that shooting. The University of Cincinnati will shut down at 11 a.m. in preparation for Deter’s announcement, suggesting something major will be divulged at the event. City leaders have scheduled a response news conference at 2 p.m.
""The University of Cincinnati will cancel all classes on the Uptown and Medical campuses at 11:00 a.m. today including all classes in session at that time," a UC e-mail to employees and students said. "Offices on these campuses also will close at 11:00 a.m. This decision is made with an abundance of caution in anticipation of today’s announcement of the Hamilton County grand jury’s decision regarding the July 19 officer-involved shooting of Samuel Dubose and the release of the officer’s body camera video. We realize this is a challenging time for our university community."
Questions continue over Dubose’s death. Tensing’s story is that Dubose started to drive off during a traffic stop in Mount Auburn over a missing license plate, nearly running him over. Tensing says he was then forced to shoot Dubose in the head because he was being dragged by the car and his life was in danger. Tensing suffered minor injuries when he fell to the ground as Dubose’s car rolled away. But Dubose’s family and some activists have expressed skepticism about that chain of events.
Yesterday was the funeral for Dubose. More than 500 people including Mayor John Cranley, City Manager Harry Black and State Sen Cecil Thomas attended the services at Church of the Living God in Avondale where the father, musician and entrepreneur was laid to rest. His mother Audrey Dubose and other family members remembered him as a kind and loving man who nevertheless had a deep, sometimes complicated independent streak. Some friends knew him as the man who started the Ruthless Riders, a black motorcycle club, and as a talented rapper and producer. The service and its immediate aftermath were at times somber, but devoid of anger. Family, friends and faith leaders called for answers to Dubose’s death, but also stressed they did not want to see violence or unrest in the wake of his killing. Dubose was buried at Landmark Memorial Gardens in Evendale.
Thus far, the prosecutor has declined to release video footage for the time being as his office presents evidence to a grand jury, causing protests. The grand jury could decide to indict Tensing on charges ranging from aggravated murder, which carries a potential death sentence, to negligent homicide, a misdemeanor. City Manager Harry Black has been briefed on that video and has called it “a bad situation,” saying that, “someone has been died who did not necessarily have to die.” Tensing, 25, hasn’t had major disciplinary actions on his record and his superiors have spoken highly of him. He started at UC last year after serving with the Green Hills Police Department, where he started as a part-time officer in 2011. Tensing has retained Stew Matthews, a Cincinnati attorney, for his defense in the event he is indicted.
Other news, real quick-like:
• A $100 million hotel project on the Purple People Bridge between Newport and Cincinnati is likely off the table indefinitely, according to developers. In 2010, DW Real Estate made plans to build a 90-room hotel at the center of the 2,600 foot bridge. But disagreements about parking have kept the plan from moving forward. Developers say without the parking, the hotel is a no-go.
• Some Ohio state legislators are calling for the resignation of Ohio Schools Superintendent Richard Ross following the revelation that some Ohio charter schools aren't being held to proper state standards. You can read more about the controversy here. It's been a tough month for charter schools. Earlier this summer, it was revealed that a high-ranking Ohio Department of Education official responsible for holding charter sponsor organizations accountable had omitted a number of low grades for online charter schools because it would mask better performance from other schools. That official has since resigned.
• Looks like House Speaker John Boehner is once again in trouble with the more raucous members of his party. U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina has filed a motion in the House to remove Boehner from his powerful perch as speaker. It's not the first time a cadre of conservative GOPers has come at our spray-tanned hometown hero with torches and pitchforks, and it's unlikely the move will gain enough support to shake Boehner from his post. But it's a reminder that his control over the fractious House is tenuous and best, and that deep friction continues between the staunchly conservative tea party wing of the GOP and more traditional Republicans.