CINCINNATI — The man accused of shooting and injuring two people last Monday at Fountain Square is also linked to another shooting that happened two days earlier.
Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor David Hickenlooper said 24-year-old Shaquille Ferguson, who is now charged with two counts of felonious assault, having weapons under disability and improperly discharging a firearm, is also involved in a shooting that happened on Spring Grove Avenue on Oct. 11.
Ferguson appeared in Hamilton County Court for arraignment Monday after he turned himself into Cincinnati police Sunday night.
Cincinnati police released surveillance video last week showing two people walking away from City Bird restaurant. A person with his face blurred turns around first and points. Then, a man in a white shirt, believed to be Ferguson, turns around, pulls out a gun and starts shooting. A 16-year-old boy and 19-year-old man were injured.
At the time of the shooting, prosecutors said he was already on probation for a prior felonious assault conviction from earlier this year, after prosecutors alleged that he pistol whipped someone on or outside of a Metro bus.
Prosecutors also allege that Ferguson fired at a man two days prior to the shooting outside of the City Bird location in Fountain Square. They said the shell casings from both shootings match up, citing evidence from the National Integrated Ballistics information Network. That's why prosecutors requested a high bond amount for Ferguson.
"I think the fact that this is occurring not just in the city center on Fountain Square but in other parts of the city and the defendant is demonstrating his violent proclivities consistently over a period of several years," Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor David Hickenlooper said.
However, Ferguson's attorney Clyde Bennett requested a "reasonable monetary bond," acknowledging his client violated his probation, but turned himself into police.
"He does not have any failure to appears, his residency is stable, strong family ties, represented by counsel," said Bennett. "This is not a murder case, this is a felonious assault case, more particularly this case is a case of self-defense. I know it happened on Fountain Square, the cherished jewel of Cincinnati, but that is not a factor in the Ohio Revised Code regarding sentencing."
Hear from Attorney Clyde Bennett about what he says led to the Fountain Square shooting:
Bennett told us Sunday that Ferguson did not initiate the conflict that resulted in the shooting at Fountain Square. He said one of the people that Ferguson can be seen shooting at on surveillance camera was pointing a gun at him. He pushed for a lower bond, but Hickenlooper said this was a "grave public safety issue."
Judge Jackie Ginocchio agreed with prosecutors that there needed to be a high bond.
"I do believe that he is a flight risk and I think that he is a threat to society right now," said Ginocchio.
The judge set Ferguson's bond for the Fountain Square shooting at $2.1 million and the shooting on Spring Grove Avenue at $500,000. Court records show Ferguson is being held on two bonds, totaling $2.6 million.
If Ferguson posts bond, he will have an electronic monitoring device and cannot have guns nor have contact with any victims. His next court date is scheduled for Oct. 29.
