CINCINNATI — A teenage boy, around 14 or 15 years old, according to Cincinnati police, was hospitalized Monday night after a shooting in West End.
Cincinnati Police Department Sgt. Phillip Buccino said the shooting happened around 9:30 p.m. at the intersection of Wade Street and John Street. The teen was shot in the upper leg, Buccino said, and remains in "stable condition."
"I heard the gunshots. I was in my kitchen. All I heard was pop, pop, pop," said Tyra Williams, who's lived in the West End all her life. "All the kids was running upstairs. They (were) like, 'They shooting.'"
Williams said police recovered a gun from underneath her car, which could be tied to the incident. Buccino initially said officers recovered a gun near the scene of the shooting.
WATCH: Another teen has been affected by gun violence in Cincinnati. Here is how the West End community is reacting
Williams also said a friend of hers helped the injured teen before he was taken to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center via private transport.
"He was shaky. He was shaken up. He was scared, like he was frightened," she said. "He was like, 'I'm shot. I'm shot.' So she took him in."
Cincinnati police said they have no suspect information at this time.
According to city data, in the West End, there have been 11 shootings so far in 2025, including the incident from Monday. Six of the 11 have taken place since July. Those numbers have come down over recent years. Data shows there were 26 shootings by this time in 2022, 21 by this time in 2023 and 13 by this time in 2024.
Although after speaking with West End community council members, we have learned that there is still a sentiment among some that the rate of incidents like this is too high.
"This is the norm. It's not an outlier," community council executive board member Noah O'Brien said. "You have to provide more police resources. We need undercover officers that are walking, observing crimes with their own eyes to gain probable cause to make these arrests."
O'Brien said systemic factors play a role in what he sees as a persistent issue.
"When are we going to talk about all of this holistically together for all the people that can help effectuate change?" he said.
We asked Williams what potential solutions look like to her.
"The parents need to get with (their) kids," she said. "It starts from home, you ain't doing that with the kids. They don't have no structure."
The shooting on Monday took place just feet from where 11-year-old Domonic Davis was shot and killed nearly two years ago. For Christopher Griffin, vice president of the West End community council, standing near the scene of the shooting was a reminder of the not-too-distant tragedy.
"It's just that memory in our head," he said. "I don't want to sound like I'm getting used to it, but it happens a lot here."
