A Hamilton Avenue confrontation outside a Northside apartment ended with gunfire Friday evening, prosecutors say, and now a Cincinnati man is facing serious charges.
Prosecutors allege 36-year-old Dimitrius Kirksey fired at a woman outside his Northside apartment during the incident. He appeared in court Saturday as the case moved into its early stages, while his attorney argued that the criminal complaint gets the story wrong.
According to court records, the woman went to Kirksey's apartment to pick up her belongings when a struggle broke out. Prosecutors say that as she was trying to get away, Kirksey fired two shots while she was outside the apartment on Hamilton Avenue, as reported by WKRC.
Kirksey's attorney pushed back hard on that version in court, saying, "That is not what happened at all" and telling the judge that investigators would look for Ring doorbell footage from the residence to support his client's account. The defense also challenged language in the complaint that describes a shot fired at a moving car, according to WKRC.
Charges and legal notes
Kirksey is charged with felonious assault and domestic violence, both of which can carry significant prison time under Ohio law. Felonious assault is defined under R.C. 2903.11, and domestic violence under R.C. 2919.25, per law.justia, with domestic violence eligible to be charged as a felony in certain circumstances.
Northside context
The case arrives amid a run of shootings along the Hamilton Avenue corridor in Northside, a stretch that has already kept police busy this year. In February, multiple people were wounded in an attack on the strip, and another shooting near a gas station in May rattled the neighborhood again. Hoodline covered those earlier incidents in Gunfire Erupts on Hamilton Ave and Northside Gas Station Head Shot.
For now, the criminal complaint and Saturday's court appearance mark only the opening chapter of the case. As it proceeds through the county courts, further filings and hearings are expected to clarify what happened outside that Hamilton Avenue apartment. The account above is based on reporting and court records reviewed by WKRC, with more details likely to emerge as evidence and testimony are presented.
