Man shoots, kills driver while getting out from his car in Walnut Hills, police say
A man with a pistol in his hand shot the driver of a car he was in while he was trying to get out, according to a Cincinnati police news release and court records.
John Smith, 58, of Roselawn, is accused of shooting Jason Bennett, 40, while he was getting out from the backseat of Bennett's car June 28, court records show.
While holding a handgun in his right hand, Smith allegedly tried to get out from the back of Bennett's car on the driver's side. Smith "pushed on the driver's reclined seat several times" before shooting Bennett in the head, according to court records.
Around 10:30 p.m., officers were called to the 3000 block of Gilbert Avenue in Walnut Hills, where they found Bennett with a gunshot wound, Cincinnati police said in the news release.
Cincinnati fire personnel then arrived and took Bennett to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center where he died of his injuries, police said.
Court records show Smith faces an involuntary manslaughter charge in connection with Bennett's death. Cincinnati police said they charged Smith with reckless homicide. The Enquirer has reached out to a Cincinnati police spokesman to confirm the charge.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call the police's homicide unit at 513-352-3542.
Bennett's death marks the eighth reported shooting this year in Walnut Hills and the 105th reported citywide so far this year, according to city data up to June 24.
Overall, reported shootings are down in Cincinnati this year when compared with the number of shootings by this time last year. In 2024, there were 135 reported shootings by this point in the year, city data shows.
However, the number people killed in shootings citywide have remained constant. So far in 2025, there have been 30 people killed in shootings, the same by this point last year.
In response to what Mayor Aftab Pureval recently called an "unacceptable rise in crime" across Cincinnati, Police Chief Teresa Theetge told The Enquirer proactive, targeted policing of crime hot spots will be a priority for the department's newest roving task force.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Man shot driver in Walnut Hills while getting out of car, police say
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Two People Killed In 'Major' U.S. Highway Racing Accident
Two People Killed In 'Major' U.S. Highway Racing Accident originally appeared on The Spun. Two people are dead following a "major" U.S. highway street racing accident on Sunday. The crash happened on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Montgomery County on Sunday. Two cars were reportedly racing at high speeds when they crashed. The two cars reportedly lost control and crashed near the Pennsylvania turnpike ramp to I-276 in Upper Moreland Township. Officials announced that the two people who died were the ones driving the cars that authorities believed were racing. From the report: The two killed were the drivers of the two cars racing, officials said. Two other people in a third vehicle were injured after crashing into one of the crashed vehicles, officials said. They both were treated for minor injuries. According to officials, a crash that happened around 3:30 a.m., and led to the closure of the eastbound lanes of the turnpike from the mid-county interchange to Bensalem. An investigation into the crash is underway. Our thoughts are with the friends and family members of the victims on Sunday. Two People Killed In 'Major' U.S. Highway Racing Accident first appeared on The Spun on Jun 29, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jun 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Search suspended for man in lake near Greenville
An underwater search and recovery team is looking for a man in a lake in northeast Kent County Sunday night, the sheriff's office said. (June 29, 2025)
CBS News
13 minutes ago
- CBS News
Community remembers 11-year-old murdered in Minneapolis park
Friends, family and community members took over the streets Sunday, marching down Dowling Avenue Sunday afternoon, to the park where 11-year-old Amir Atkins took his last breath. Leading the march Sunday, is a man familiar with both gun violence and loss. "We need to put the guns down and love up," said Cortez Rice. Three years ago, Rice lost his 15-year-old son, Jahmari, after he was gunned down outside a school in Richfield. "We're taking hits after hits after hits, and these is young lives that are being taken from us," said Rice. "He touched all of our lives," said Atkins' grandmother, Kim Fate. Fate said her grandson was a bubbly, feisty boy, who loved Spiderman, football and basketball. He just made the wrong friends, she said. "I just think that he was negatively influenced. What he was looking for, I don't know, but he was too young to be out here in these streets," said Fate. Community members are now pleading for an end to gun violence and for the murderer to take accountability. "Whoever did this, I want you to know I hope you don't rest and sleep, because what you did was wrong to my grandson," said Fate. Minneapolis police said Sunday, they continue to search for suspects and a motive.
