“We estimate that there were 100 to 200 people at the club when gunfire erupted,” Hamilton Police Chief Craig Bucheit said. “We have received cooperation, but because of the number of people who were there, frankly it is shameful.”
>> RELATED: City officials say stronger action needed against bar
Mondale Goens, 21, of Gordon Smith Blvd., was arraigned in Hamilton Municipal Court on charges of murder and two counts of felonious assault for allegedly shooting two people at Doubles Bar, 1555 Main St. Judge Dan Gattermeyer set bond at $2 million.
Goens is accused of shooting Katrina Price, 18, of McKinley Drive, Hamilton, and Tavaris Gilbert, 20, of Corliss Ave., Hamilton. He is charged with murder for the death of his 22-year-old brother Kalif Goens of Hamilton.
Bucheit said Mondale Goens, as the “proximate result of his actions, caused his brother’s death.” It is not clear at this time if he fired the shot that killed Kalif Goens.
Katrina Price said she is still in “a lot of pain” but is out of the hospital. She said she is not sure what happened.
Three of the victims were from the Gilbert family, and the Goens brothers were at the scene.
“I was there for a birthday party. They (Gilberts and Goens) were friends, they were getting along. I just don’t know what happened,” Price said.
One of the people injured who did not want to be named said he was there for a band performance and “someone just started shooting. We were standing together and shots started flying. I was only in there about five minutes.”
Cornell McKennelly, 38, of Petty Drive in Hamilton, said he suffered three broken ribs and has a bullet still in his body. He was there with his girlfriend Tiara Davis.
“I was walking to my car when the shooting started,” McKennelly said. “It happened fast.”
Davis said she hit the ground when the shooting started. She said she didn’t see anything inside the bar that would lead to a conflict.
Also injured were Taraius Gilbert, 27, of Walnut St., Hamilton; Orlando Gilbert, 25, of Carriage Hill, Hamilton; Markisha Rainey, 22, of Cincinnati, and Darrell Wallace, 25, of Hamilton-Richmond Road, Hamilton.
“We have seen too many tears and too many funerals resulting from gun violence,” Hamilton Mayor Patrick Moeller said.
“The gun violence has to stop. We all have to stop it,” Moeller said. “The Hamilton Police Department is professionally doing its job. Our citizens can assist in many ways including helping our young people stay on the right track, helping solve crimes by assisting the police even anonymously through programs such as Crime Stoppers, and generally supporting our public safety personnel.”
Moeller said the city and law enforcement will look at all complaints against Doubles.
“The city will be reviewing police and fire department calls for service, the nature of those calls, and citizen complaints regarding this bar. This violence and those people behind it will not be tolerated in our city,” he said.
In February, J & J Bar and Restaurant on Third Street was padlocked and shut down by the city after a long history of violence and other crime — including drugs and strippers. The liquor license at the bar was not renewed and a court injunction allowed police to padlock the doors. Police had been called to the establishment for more than 50 fights since 2011, as will as stabbings and shootings. That building has now been sold, according to city officials.
Two weeks ago police intervened a the Hamilton Inn, where a double stabbing and shooting have occurred this summer. Bucheit said if the owner of that Hamilton business cannot stop the escalating crime in the parking lot, it may face legal action by the city.
Likewise, Bucheit says the number of calls and the violence at Doubles is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
The bar was also the scene of a double-shooting in August 2015.
Members of the Goens family and friends attended Monday’s press conference but waited outside as Bucheit spoke to the media. Pastor Shaquila Mathews of the Truth and Life Church in Hamilton met with the family after the incident and after the press conference.
Mathews told the Journal-News that the family does not have any plans for a vigil at this time, but is encouraged that people are coming together to support them and those that are also in need of prayer and well-wishes at this time.
“The family is still processing everything, and they are not making any formal statements at this time,” Mathews said. “This is a very tragic event that has affected many families and people in the community. It is a time for prayer and healing.”
Former city councilman Archie Johnson, who is also the pastor of St. Phillip’s Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in Hamilton, said the incident is a reminder that all the violence going on in the world can hit right home in Hamilton. He said people with knowledge of what happened should cooperate with the police in the investigation.
He added that the violence has to stop and that people should not feel unsafe in their community.
“It is unfortunate that these young folks lives are being taken at the hands of a select few,” Johnson said. “My prayers go out to all of the affected families.”
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