CINCINNATI — A man was arrested Wednesday in connection with a shooting on southbound I-75 that injured 7-year-old Jojo Hayes, according to the Cincinnati Police Department (CPD).
CPD said Michael Walker was arrested and is charged with three counts of felonious assault and one count of improper discharge of a firearm.
Police said CPD District 3 officers responded to southbound I-75 near the Western Hills Viaduct for a shooting involving a young child just after 1 p.m. Tuesday.
Hayes' injuries are believed to be non-life-threatening, according to police.
We spoke to Hayes' family Wednesday. They told us Walker's arrest allowed them to breathe a sigh of relief.
WATCH: We talk with the Hayes family about the shooting on I-75 that injured 7-year-old Jojo
Hayes' mother said her son was riding in the backseat of her car down I-75 Tuesday when Walker spotted them and started chasing them.
She said Walker is her ex, whom she has been trying to avoid due to repeated problems.
As she got off the exit at Harrison Avenue, she told us Walker fired one shot that went through the door of the backseat and struck Hayes.
Hayes' grandmother told us that although Hayes is expected to be physically OK, he is traumatized by the incident.
Before learning of Walker's arrest, the family said they were driving around trying to hide and hoping Walker would not find them.
This isn't the first time the Hayes family has been impacted by gun violence.
Jojo's uncle Emanuel Hayes was shot and killed at a Westwood apartment complex in June 2023, just weeks after he graduated from DePaul Cristo Rey High School.
No one has been arrested for Emanuel's shooting.
