Victims fighting attackers
It’s a split-second decision all crime victims face when confronted by a robber, rapist or burglar: Obey the criminal or fight back.
A growing number of Cincinnatians have chosen to fight.
Cincinnati police say at least nine homicides this year could qualify as justified because the killers say they were fending off criminals who intended to harm them. Last year, police reported one justified homicide.
Would-be victims include a deli owner defending his business in Winton Place, a motorist running down an assault suspect in Mount Washington and a Kennedy Heights man who shot and killed a teenager attempting to steal his car.
Police aren’t sure why more people are fighting back, but some see a natural response to violent crime in a city where shootings and homicides are on the rise.
“People just want to protect themselves and their families,” said Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters. “People are living in fear of what’s going on in this community.”
Prosecutors must review every self-defense claim, but Deters already has found that the use of deadly force was justified in at least three of this year’s cases.
The most recent decision came Friday, when prosecutors chose not to pursue criminal charges against Bennie Hall, the Kennedy Heights man who shot and killed 14-year-old Quavale Finnell on Oct. 23.
Deters said Hall fired his .45-caliber handgun as Finnell drove Hall’s car at him.
“I was just protecting myself,” Hall said. “I’m not a vigilante.”
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Victims fighting attackers
The Enquirer
