CINCINNATI – Police now think it was a gun battle that led to the shooting of a young mother on Reading Road Thursday night, and she probably wasn't the intended target.
The shooter who fired at Iesha Williams' red Chevrolet Avalanche may have been gunning for her passenger, police said. The unidentified man fled the scene, leaving the wounded woman behind.
"If I were to make a guess, I would say that her passenger may have been the intended target," Cincinnati Police Capt. Paul Broxterman said Friday
Williams, 24, was still in critical condition but "doing better," according to her neighbor, Dwight Price.
"She’s a strong young lady. She’s a fighter," Price told WCPO.
Price said Williams is a good mother to her young kids, and she has family with her as she fights to recover. Price said he has known Williams her whole life and he doesn't believe anyone would try to shoot her.
The man riding with Williams came back momentarily to retrieve something from the truck and then ran again, Broxterman said. Price said he didn't know who might have been with her.
"It's a mystery," Price said. "She had gone downtown to take care of some business, I understand, and it's just no telling because these people nowadays … a guy might've jumped in…
"I know she wasn't doing nothing wrong. I know that. Iesha's a good young lady. I knew when I heard it that it was wrong."
Police say a gray sedan – possibly a Nissan Altima -- pulled up on the passenger side of Williams' truck and the shooting started. They found two kinds of shell casings at the scene.
Police obtained surveillance video from the Metro bus Williams crashed into, as well as from area businesses. They hope it will give them to a better idea who that passenger was -- at least until they can talk to Williams.
Police said shell casings have been sent to a lab that can compare them with others from other investigations.
"It's a shame she got hit. They should've got that guy that was on the other side of the car," Price said.
"Now I want to get you."
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 513-352-3040.
