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Woman shot at Colerain gender reveal party said she was attacked in December 2014

Colerain detectives getting 2-3 tips every hour
Posted at 5:57 PM, Jul 10, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-11 07:23:43-04

COLERAIN TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- Cheyanne Willis was shot in the leg Saturday night, at a shower in her unborn baby's honor.

She said she lost the child. Another woman died. Seven others, including three children, were injured.

It was not Willis' first encounter with violence. She told WCPO she was attacked on Christmas Eve 2014, claiming another woman punched her and wrote on her face.

Jim Love, Colerain Township police spokesman, said detectives have been getting two or three tips an hour since Saturday night's shootings on Capstan Drive.

Now they're now looking into information about the December 2014 case after WCPO told them about it.

Police believe there were two gunmen. But Love said they don't know why they walked through the front door and shot up the home.

"We are not closer to motive," he said. "That is one of the biggest questions that we are trying to figure out."

RELATED: Everything we know about party shootings

Autum Garrett, 22, of Huntington, Indiana, died after the shooting. Two victims are in fair condition at University of Cincinnati Medical Center. The children -- ages 2, 6 and 8 -- were treated at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and have been released.

All were attending a gender reveal party, a sort of baby shower, when they were shot at about 11:20 p.m. They were watching a movie, police said.

Colerain Township Police Chief Mark Denney said police were unsure if the suspects knew the victims, and they don’t know if anyone was targeted in the shooting.

Two handguns were used, Denney said, but no weapons have been recovered.

While Denney said Sunday there is not a “specific threat” to the community, he emphasized police do not have information regarding the suspects or their motive.

Still, by Monday, Love said it appears "this is an incident that shouldn’t give worry to the rest of Colerain."

Anyone with information about the shootings can call 513-321-COPS or text 513-470-7165, a special line set up for this case.

What crime stats say about neighborhood

Capstan Drive is in Colerain's Northbrook neighborhood, not far from Northgate Mall.

Tom DeLay said it's a different place than when he arrived in 1965.

"It was quiet," he said. "You could throw a ball down the street, and you could hear it bounce all the way down the street. But it's certainly not that way now."

 

Crime data from the Colerain Township Police Department show a slight uptick in crimes such as theft in burglary during the past two years. But the numbers also show thefts are down by 75 percent compared to five years ago.

Garrett is the only murder in the area in two years.

DeLay said he's concerned his quiet neighborhood is making another hard turn.

"I would feel better if they could do something about it," he said.

Love said the police department has been working over the past year to work with the community, and they believe it's working.