MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- Kimberly Brummett-Smith didn't know 17-year-old Joseph Davis well, but she tried her hardest to save his life after he was shot late Tuesday night.
When she saw the teenager lying on the road at the intersection of Woodlawn Avenue and Garfield Street, his discarded bike nearby, she thought of his mother and of her own children, she said.
She knew what she would want someone else to do in her position, so she did it: Kneeling beside Davis, she helped another bystander administer CPR and tried to keep him conscious.
"We were trying to do the breaths and say his name; hopefully something would bring him to and make him fight harder," she said. "He did come to open his eyes for a little bit and try to take the breaths for himself."
Davis died at the hospital. Another teenager stands charged with murder and participating in a criminal gang in connection to the shooting.
According to Maj. Scott Reeve, the shooting was a byproduct of an ongoing feud among Davis, his group of friends and "another group of young men in the area." The two factions were fighting over territory, he said.
"We are really working hard to put a stop to this before it gets any worse," he said.
Teddy bears and balloons now sit near where Davis fell off his bike after being shot, and neighbors held a vigil to commemorate Davis' life.
Reeve said he expected to make more arrests in connection to the shooting.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Detective Kristy Hughes at 513-425-7733 or Detective Steve Winters at 513-425-7786.
