CINCINNATI — The man accused of shooting and injuring two people at Fountain Square in October 2025 now faces a federal charge.
Shaquille Ferguson, 24, was originally charged with felonious assault, having weapons under disability and improperly discharging a firearm after he turned himself in following a shooting near City Bird restaurant the night of Oct. 13, 2025. However, charges were dismissed with prejudice after video appeared to back up his claims that it was self-defense.
Police released surveillance footage showing two people walking away from the restaurant after what appeared to be an argument. One man, later identified as Ferguson, turns around, pulls out a gun and starts shooting. A 16-year-old and 19-year-old were injured. The gun Ferguson used was never recovered.
Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor David Hickenlooper said Ferguson is also connected to a shooting that happened on Spring Grove Avenue just two days before. According to prosecutors, shell casings from both shooting scenes match up, per evidence from the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network.
In an affidavit filed Wednesday, an ATF officer said just months before the two shootings, Ferguson was convicted of aggravated assault. While he was sentenced to a term of community control, his guilty plea stated that his conviction included a maximum sentence of 18 months.
Federal law states that a person convicted in any court of a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than a year "cannot ship, transport, receive or possess firearms or ammunition." Because of that, Ferguson now faces one count of possession of ammunition by a prohibited person.
