21 hours ago
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
