CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Police Chief Tom Streicher said the five officers involved in a traffic stop that resulted in the fatal shooting of the 27-year-old driver after an exchange of gunfire did everything right.
Streicher on Wednesday explained what happened in the Tuesday shooting on Spring Grove Avenue in the city neighborhood of Spring Grove Village with a Powerpoint presentation, including video of the fatal shooting of Randolph Ward Jr. captured on a business video camera.
Here is Streicher's account:
• Photos: Police kill gunman in shootout
Officer Gregory Toyeas and Ward were driving north when Ward cut off Toyeas as they both turned onto Spring Grove Avenue. Toyeas pulled over Ward's Buick LaSabre. Ward stopped on Kenard Avenue, between a Blockbuster video store and Kroger grocery store.
Toyeas asked Ward a series of questions about his identity, which Ward evaded answering. In fact, the age he gave and the birth date were nine years apart.
"That started the suspicious thought process," Streicher said of Toyeas.
Toyeas ordered Ward out of the car, but instead Ward reached for a gun. He had it in his right hand as he got out of the car and ran west toward the railroad tracks along Spring Grove Avenue.
Toyeas didn't shoot. He called for backup, which brought help from Officer Jerome Enneking. With the officers behind him, Ward ran north, then crossed over the railroad tracks, which sit up on a hill.
On the other side of the hill, Officer William Watts pulled up in the parking lot of Gold Star Chili and saw Ward with the gun. Ward had just pointed the weapon at two people working in the area.
"Watts says he's convinced Ward is going to take a shot," Streicher said. Watts fired two shots, both missing Ward, who is running.
Officer Shyane Baker pulled up and confronted Ward, although she didn't see that Ward had a gun. Ward climbed into a nearby repair truck. She reached in and deployed her Taser to subdue Ward. He continued to struggle.
Enneking came over the hill and saw the struggle. Officer Kevin Newman, who was in plainclothes, ran up from the back.
"He has a gun," Baker yelled.
Ward fired three shots at her.
"Newman and Enneking get him in crossfire, and Newman fires 13 shots, Enneking fired four shots," Streicher said. Ward was hit several times.
Streicher said Baker credits Newman with saving her life.
Ward was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy is under way. Officers found a loaded .380-caliber gun on the floor of the truck.
Ward's mother said Wednesday she doesn’t blame police for her son’s death, which she called “suicide.”
She said her son, who lived St. Bernard, had been under a lot of stress lately. He was wanted since June 8 for allegedly violating his probation on a recent felony conviction of illegally carrying a firearm, Hamilton County court records show.
He missed appointments with his probation officer because he could not find a job and knew he would be returned to jail, said his mother, Christel Johnson of North Avondale.
He did not want to turn himself into authorities until his fiancee gave birth to their son, born four months ago, she said. He also had been depressed and drank heavily.
“It was a suicide. I know so,” his mother said, crying. “He got into trouble. He was going to turn himself in, but he couldn’t leave her because it was a total of five kids. He kept having to come to me for money.”
She said her son text messaged his younger brother, Reggie, 19, about 9 a.m. Tuesday. In his message, he asked his brother to take care of their mother. He did not respond to his brother’s attempts to get in touch with him after. The traffic stop and ensuing gun battle began about 11 a.m.
“He was very distraught,” Johnson said. “He just wanted to do so much and couldn’t do it because he was labeled a felon. It was too much for him.”
She said Cincinnati police came to her North Avondale house Tuesday and told her that her son cut them off on the road, and that’s why they pulled him over in Spring Grove Village.
“The police said they would have never pulled him over had he never cut them off,” she said. “If you know you have a warrant out for your arrest, why would he go and do that?”
She said she did not blame the police for her son’s death.
“The police were very generous,” she said of their visit to her home on Tuesday. “When they said he cut in front of them, I knew. It was odd he texted my son to take care of me.”
Streicher said the only person who knows what Ward was thinking was Ward himself. He said Ward was wanted on three misdemeanor charges. An arrest on that could have meant nearly six months in jail. "All we can do is work with the evidence," Streicher said.
Mayor Mark Mallory called the incident a tragedy for all involved, but was a direct result of poor decisions by Ward.
"There is not a circumstance a person is going through that should result in what we saw yesterday. Issues can be dealt with," Mallory said. "There is no circumstance that requires a young man to draw a gun on a Cincinnati police officer.
Mallory said Cincinnati police officers acted according to their training. "There were many opportunities for Mr. Ward to surrender. He chose not to do that."
Carrie Whitaker contributed to this report.
