CINCINNATI — Children living in Cincinnati’s West End neighborhood call him “the killer man.”
He is who they believe fatally shot 11-year-old Domonic Davis and wounded five others, including four children, nearly two years ago when someone in a dark sedan fired 22 shots into a crowd near Laurel Playground.
The identity of the “killer man” is widely known within this neighborhood, according to Domonic's parents, Isaac Davis and Lakisha McFarland.
“The community is still in fear. The person is still at large. It’s not safe,” McFarland said.
“Everybody knows what happened,” Davis said. “The community is talking about it, the police have a suspect and just no one is willing to come forward.”
WATCH: We speak with Domonic's parents and local authorities about the search for his killer
No arrests have been made in that Nov. 3, 2023, murder, and authorities believe that whoever killed Domonic has been responsible for violence throughout the city.
“I know there have been several instances of violence and retaliation, and retaliation for retaliation,” said Cincinnati police homicide Detective David Gregory. “Getting these people locked up who are responsible for this, it’s not going to stop all of the violence in Cincinnati, obviously, but it’s a big, big chunk of it.”
Davis believes he was a victim of retaliation. He was shot three times last October while sitting in his car and spent a month in the hospital recovering. He believes whoever shot him is also responsible for his son’s murder.
“I can’t even come out in public and not look around my shoulder because I also was a target for speaking out about my son,” Davis said. “This whole situation is just bad, and this guy needs to be off the streets.”
Police do not believe that Domonic or the other children were the intended targets in that shooting, saying that something happened earlier in the day to prompt it.
“There's a little confusion; there might be two cars, there might be one car,” Gregory said. “We obtained pretty much every video in the West End from the city cameras to some of the businesses that were down there. Even videos on the highway, just in an attempt to get as much information on the cars as we could. TQL stadium has really good video, so there is a lot of video we poured through in this case.”
Gregory wants the community to know that Cincinnati police are still actively working on this case and know a lot about what happened.
“It still matters. An 11-year-old boy shot and killed on the street still matters. It matters to me. It matters to this police department. I know it matters to the family,” Gregory said. “I’m just asking people to come forward. Get us that little bit of information that can push us over the top because we are on this case.”
Domonic’s family wants the case to be prosecuted by federal authorities because stiffer penalties would apply. They believe the gun used in the shooting had been altered since 22 shots were fired quickly, which could make it a federal crime.
“Without a gun recovery, I wouldn’t be able to pass it off to the feds,” Gregory said, adding that Cincinnati police have good relationships with federal agencies. “If information from a federal inmate, for instance, may come forward, they’re going to pass that onto us.”
ATF spokesperson Bill Halusek agreed.
“Based on the facts currently available, the tragic death of Dominic Davis does not appear to have a federal crime nexus and is not being investigated by the ATF,” Halusek said.
“However, as the investigation continues, any new information that emerges may prompt a re-evaluation of the case to determine whether a federal nexus exists," Halusek said. "If such a connection is established, the matter may be referred to the United States Attorney’s Office for a prosecutorial determination.”
For now, Gregory is trying to convince a small group of young people to come forward with information about Domonic's killer.
“That’s been the main focus of the investigation to try and get the young people who know what happened, know why it happened, to come forward,” Gregory said.
But Domonic’s parents said there is a true, real fear of retaliation, especially for anyone living in the West End.
“My baby was murdered, and his case is still unsolved. Other children were hit,” McFarland said. “They feel like we don’t have anyone to protect us, so they don’t want to tell because they have to protect themselves and their families.”
Domonic’s family hopes that a larger reward will motivate someone with information to contact the police, and they are contributing $5,000.
That is on top of the reward being offered by the ATF, which increased from $5,000 to $7,500 on July 24. It is the second-largest contribution to a reward by the ATF Cincinnati field office since 2019, Halusek said.
Domonic’s family and neighborhood leaders want Cincinnati City Council to boost that reward.
“Do you think you’re going to risk your life bringing information about a person who shot into a crowd full of kids for $5,000? No. And the city knows that. We explained it to the city, but they ignore us,” said Noah O’Brien, who was vice-president of the West End Community Council until he was term-limited out of office in July, but remains on the executive board.
O’Brien provided the WCPO 9 I-Team with emails he sent to Mayor Aftab Pureval, City Manager Sheryl Long and all city council members in 2024, that he said were ignored.
“It’s disheartening to know that Domonic’s parents were included on this email distribution and the community did not receive a single response from a council member or their office — not even a superficial ‘thanks for reaching out to us,’” O’Brien wrote in an Oct. 22, 2024, email. “The community obviously supports symbolic gestures like an honorary street naming, but justice must be provided to this family via an arrest in the case.”
“We appreciate the street sign, the little gesture like that. But we want justice,” Davis said. “I just think $7,500 is just not enough for someone to come forward and put their life on the line.
“We understand that council members aren’t generally involved in rewards. The same can be said for residents,” O’Brien wrote in an October email to city leaders. “That’s why we are asking our elected officials to investigate methods, partnerships, and professional connections to effectuate a substantially higher reward.”
City spokesperson Ben Breuninger wasn’t aware of a time when the city supplemented a reward related to a criminal investigation.
“The budget and law offices confirmed that this is not something they’ve been asked about either currently or in recent memory,” Breuninger said. “City Council would ultimately need to vote to appropriate such funds. I’m not sure if this specific issue is on any council members’ radar, but any action would likely begin with them.”
Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040 or submit a tip on the website. Cincinnati police social workers may be able to help relocate anyone who feels threatened with retaliation, Gregory said.
