HAMILTON, Ohio — A Ross Township man has been indicted on murder and other felony charges in the shooting death last week of a man outside a Hamilton residence.
Nicholas Lorenz, 40, of Warvel Road, was indicted by a Butler County grand jury Friday on murder with a gun specification, felonious assault with a gun specification, having weapons under disability and tampering with evidence for the May 20 fatal shooting.
Lorenz was arraigned Friday afternoon on the indicted charges in Butler County Common Pleas Court, where Judge Keith Spaeth set bond at $1.1 million.
A 911 caller named Lorenz as a suspect as others tried to help the wounded victim.
Jason Simpson, 47, was shot at about 10:30 a.m. outside a Madison Avenue residence. Minutes later, Lorenz was arrested and booked into the Butler County Jail.
The men knew each other, there was a confrontation, Simpson was shot and Lorenz fled the scene, according to Hamilton police.
“Our officers arrived quickly and with the assistance of several witnesses and neighbors they were able to track the suspect who only fled a short distance,” Hamilton police Chief Craig Bucheit said.
The suspect first fled in a vehicle and then on foot, but was arrested without incident.
A female caller cried and screamed at she told the 911 dispatcher, “A man has been shot. Please hurry, please hurry. He is bleeding bad.”
The woman screams, “Jason, stay with me buddy,” while others are heard attempting CPR and applying pressure to his wounds as instructed by the dispatcher.
When asked if she knew who shot the victim, the caller said, “Yes, I do. It was Nick Lorenz.”
Witnesses also were able to provide a part of a license number and the make of the vehicle the suspect was driving.
This story was originally published by WCPO 9 News partner Journal-News.
