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U.S. NEWS Saturday 1 april 2017

Dad, attorney challenge charges against shooting suspects

DAN SEWELL cry, social appeasement
Associated Press and politics.” He said Beck-
CINCINNATI (AP) — The fa- ley denied the shooting al-
ther of a man hospitalized legation and pleaded not
in critical condition with guilty.
gunshot wounds after a Beckley was arrested Thurs-
Cincinnati nightclub shoot- day in Colerain Township,
ing doesn’t believe his son just west of Cincinnati. The
was responsible and an police complaint stated
attorney for a second sus- that Beckley and his co-de-
pect charged with murder fendant “were engaged in
Friday blamed the arrests a gun battle” in the crowd-
on public pressure. ed club that resulted in the
A man was fatally shot and death of O’Bryan Spikes.
16 other people were hurt Authorities said Spikes, 27,
when a dispute escalated died of a gunshot wound
into a gunbattle at the to the chest.
Cameo club early Sunday. The hospitalized suspect,
Police have arrested two Deondre Davis, 29, has
men on murder charges been unresponsive and on
and say more arrests are a ventilator, said his father,
possible. Jackie Davis, who called
Suspect Cornell Beckley, the allegations shocking. Cornell Beckley, who has been charged with murder in the Cameo nightclub shooting, appears
27, appeared in court Fri- “We were so excited that in Hamilton County Municipal Court Friday, March 31, 2017, in Cincinnati.
day with a bandage on his they had someone, and to (Carrie Cochran /The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP)
forehead. Hamilton County see my son’s face come
Judge Fanon Rucker set across was devastating,” woman Kelly Martin said were fired. Mayor John out in May because of the
bond at $1.7 million, say- Davis told reporters Thurs- Friday that two people re- Cranley said the most of landlord’s planned sale of
ing the total represented day evening outside the mained in critical condition those wounded were inno- the property but was in-
$100,000 for each person University of Cincinnati from the shooting. cent bystanders. stead closing for good Fri-
injured when the gunfire Medical Center. “My son Police estimate 200 people In recordings of people day. City officials say the
broke out. couldn’t have done this.” were inside the Cameo calling 911, a woman club was the scene of oth-
Beckley’s attorney, Clyde Attorney Carl Lewis said club near the Ohio River pleading for help for a vic- er violence in recent years,
Bennett II, told The Asso- that he didn’t have all the east of downtown Cincin- tim says there is “blood ev- including a shooting inside
ciated Press the murder facts yet, but that Davis nati when a dispute es- erywhere.” on New Year’s Day 2015
count against his client is is “innocent until proven calated into a gunfight in The venue’s operator said and another shooting in
“a product of public out- guilty.” Hospital spokes- which more than 20 shots Cameo planned to move the parking lot. q
Charleston church shooter to plead guilty to murder charges

MEG KINNARD comes in exchange for a closed, authorities said. white supremacist called to that jail instead of feder-
Associated Press sentence of life in prison, The deal won’t save Roof no witnesses, never asked al death row in Terre Haute,
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — the prosecutor said. from a possible execu- for forgiveness or mercy or Indiana, since his state trial
Convicted South Carolina Roof, 22, has been await- tion. Earlier this year, a fed- explained the massacre was expected to come
church shooter Dylann Roof ing trial on state murder eral jury sentenced him to and told jurors in his closing this year. Now, if this deal
is set to plead guilty to state charges for the deaths of death on charges includ- argument, “I still feel like I goes through, authorities
murder charges, avoiding nine black parishioners ing hate crimes and ob- had to do it.” can transfer him to serve his
a second death sentence at Charleston’s Emanu- struction of the practice of The state plea will mark the sentence and await the re-
and effectively bringing to el AME Church in June religion. Roof’s federal de- end of the trial proceed- sults of the years of appeals
a close the prosecutions 2015. Authorities said Roof fense team had signaled ings against Roof, who has that will surely ensue. Roof
against him for the 2015 spent months planning a willingness to plead guilty been in custody ever since has already filed for a new
slaughter. his attack on the historic ahead of that trial, if the his arrest the day after the federal trial, arguing that
Solicitor Scarlett Wilson told black church, driving by death penalty were off the shootings. Aside from trips to federal prosecutors didn’t
The Associated Press on Fri- the church and calling to table, but federal prosecu- and from court, he’s been have jurisdiction to bring
day that Roof is scheduled check on service times. tors refused to drop their housed in the Charleston their case against him.
to enter a guilty plea dur- Roof sat through an hour pursuit. Roof ultimately fired County jail, about 13 miles Roof’s state defense team
ing a hearing on April 10 in of Bible study one Wednes- his defense team for the (21 km) north of the church didn’t immediately return
Charleston. The plea on all day night before opening sentencing phase of his where the slayings took a phone message seek-
of his state charges, includ- fire during a prayer, when federal trial and represent- place.After his federal sen- ing comment on the plea
ing nine counts of murder, participants’ eyes were ed himself. The self-avowed tencing, Roof was returned deal. q