Police discuss fatal shooting of man near Music Hall. What we know now (2024)

Cincinnati held a press conference Friday afternoon and released more information about the fatal police shooting of a man near Music Hall in Over-the-Rhine on Thursday.

Officers had pursued the man from Cincinnati's West Side after a woman was stabbed during a "domestic-related" incident earlier that evening, Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge said. When police stopped the man near Music Hall, the chief said, he was armed with a gun and refused to drop it.

The police pursuit after the stabbing and the shooting prompted the city of Cincinnati to tweet that an "emergency" was occurring near Music Hall at 7:21 p.m.They issued an all-clear about 15 minutes later. It happened roughly 15 minutes before the opening night performance of "La Traviata."

The victim of the stabbing incident, who has not been named, underwent surgery at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Theetge said. While the woman remained in critical condition Friday, detectives were able to speak with her.

Theetge identified the man fatally shot by officers as 48-year-old Juan Mack.

Here's what we know about the incident that drew a heavy police response to the busy area near Washington Park.

What prompted the police pursuit

The incident started with a 911 call placed at 6:43 p.m. reporting a stabbing on Parkcrest Lane in Westwood, with the caller reporting a woman had jumped out of a car and ran toward his garage, then a man stabbed her about 10 times and fled.

"This lady needs help right now," the caller said.

Theetge said police located the car, a blue Toyota Camry, about 20 minutes later at the corner of Enright and Warsaw avenues in East Price Hill. She said the officers spotted that the driver was covered in blood and tried to pull him over. However, Mack refused to stop.

What happened near Cincinnati Music Hall

The video showed Mack stopped at Elm and W. 12th streets and got out of the Camry carrying a Ruger .40 caliber handgun.

He walked up the sidewalk passing Memorial Hall toward Music Hall. At least a dozen officers followed telling him to stop and drop the gun. They tried to direct the crowds of people pouring into Music Hall for the opera to get out of the way and inside. A police cruiser slowly followed in the street with officers using it as cover.

Mack stopped near Music Hall as the officer repeatedly told him to give up the weapon. A sergeant fired multiple 40mm foam rounds at Mack, but he still held on to the gun, Theetge said.

She added that Mack told the officers that if they shot him with the foam rounds again he would "start popping" and told them to drop their guns first.

The chief said Mack eventually raised his firearm at the officers and four officers fired a total of six rounds at Mack. She said multiple officers immediately began to render aid to Mack.

Mack's car sat on Elm Street just south of Music Hall with two flat tires for hours. No bystanders or police officers were harmed in the incident.

Cincinnati police union: 'Officers followed their training'

After a chase through several neighborhoods, Mack emerged from his vehicle armed with a handgun, ignored officers' pleas to drop the gun and pointed it at police, according to the president of Cincinnati's police union, Ken Kober.

"Those officers followed their training and protected their lives, shooting the suspect," Kober said in a statement posted to Facebook. "Thankfully, no innocent people or officers were injured."

Cincinnati Opera: 'Your safety is our top priority'

Cincinnati Opera addressed the incident in a letter sent to patrons Friday afternoon.

"We're grateful to the Cincinnati Police Department (CPD) for their quick response in ensuring the community's safety. We’re also thankful that no Cincinnati Opera or Music Hall patrons or personnel were involved in the incident," the letter reads.

"Please know that your safety is our top priority," the letter continued. "We partner with the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA), which manages Music Hall, and CPD to ensure a safe and secure environment at Music Hall."

Cincinnati Opera added that the association has "extensive security measures" in place for all performances and events. The measures include on-site security officers, metal detectors, bag checks and emergency training for all building personnel.

What's next?

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval said parallel use-of-force investigations have already been launched by the Cincinnati police internal investigation section and Cincinnati's Citizen Complaint Authority.

"We are committed to a thorough process," Pureval said.

Police have not named the officers involved in the shooting citing Marsy's Law, a law designed to protect the identities of victims of crime. The Enquirer's sister paper in Columbus,The Dispatch, has sued over police not releasing officer's names following a shooting. In Florida,the courts have sided with the press on this issue.

Recent fatal police shootings in Cincinnati

Leonard Brewington, 34, was shot and killed by a Cincinnati police officer at a UDF store on Red Bank Road in Madisonville in July 2022.

Brewington pointed a loaded gun at the officer and ignored commands to get on the ground when the officer fired five shots, according to body camera footage and police accounts of the incident.

Three months earlier, 20-year-old Ali Coulter was fatally shot in Covington by Cincinnati police who arrived at his mother's house to ask if she knew his whereabouts. Coulter was wanted for murder in Hamilton County.

Officials said that when officers approached the house, Coulter came outside with a loaded handgun and refused to drop it despite being ordered to do so.

Before Coulter's death, the last fatal shooting at the hands of Cincinnati police happened in August 2018, according to a Washington Post database of fatal police shootings.

Enquirer reporters Cameron Knight, Bebe Hodges, Erin Couch, Sharon Coolidge and photojournalist Cara Owsley contributed to this report