Dozens of gunshots tore through the halls of the Alexandra Apartments, a senior housing complex on William Howard Taft Road in East Walnut Hills, in the early hours last Saturday, leaving residents to wake up to bullet holes inside at least one unit. Cincinnati Police recovered 37 shell casings from the scene, and officials said no one was hurt in the gunfire.
According to FOX19, longtime resident Sandra Higgins said she woke up to the sound of gunshots and later found a bullet near her foot inside her apartment, along with five spent shell casings on her floor. Higgins, who has lived at the Alexandra Apartments for 12 years, said the shooting has left her afraid to return to her own unit.
Police Say Threats of Self-Harm Preceded the Gunfire
Cincinnati Police were initially called to the building by a woman threatening self-harm before the gunfire erupted inside the complex, the outlet's report states. Court records show the woman now faces charges of improperly discharging a firearm into a habitation and felonious assault, per the same report.
It remains unclear whether the woman accused in the shooting was a resident of the building or an unauthorized guest, and no information has been made public about what mental health intervention, if any, followed the initial call about self-harm threats. Those details remain open questions as the case moves through the courts.
Longtime Tenants Fear the Suspect's Return
Higgins said she had two previous interactions with the woman before the shooting and had reported the woman's concerning comments to building management ahead of time. She said she wants the woman to get help, but not anywhere near her family, according to the report.
Bernadette Marion, who has also lived at the Alexandra Apartments for 12 years, said she does not plan on moving out despite the incident. Both Marion and Higgins told the outlet they fear the woman accused in the shooting will eventually return to the building.
Property management sent residents a letter alerting them to the shooting and said it is taking steps to address the situation and keep the community safe, the report notes. Residents have described extreme concern for their safety inside the building in the days since.
Felony Charges and Landlord Duties Collide
Under Ohio Revised Code Section 2923.161, improperly discharging a firearm at or into an occupied habitation is a second-degree felony punishable by two to eight years in prison, according to the Supreme Court of Ohio, with mandatory firearm specifications capable of adding one to three additional consecutive years. The felonious assault charge she also faces is likewise a second-degree felony carrying two to eight years and is codified as a statutory offense of violence, per the Ohio Legislative Service Commission.
Ohio law also places obligations on the property's owner. Landlords must keep rental premises in safe, fit, and habitable condition under Ohio Revised Code Section 5321.04, according to the Ohio General Assembly, and tenants who provide formal written notice of unresolved safety violations can deposit rent into court escrow or petition a court for lease remedies under a related provision, Section 5321.07, per the Ohio General Assembly.
A Century-Old Senior Home Mid-Renovation
Built in 1904 in the Dutch Colonial Revival style by architect Joseph G. Steinkamp, the Alexandra Apartments is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, according to New Republic Architecture. The 83-unit building has provided senior housing in Walnut Hills for more than a century and is restricted to independent adults 62 and older.
Property owner National Church Residences, which has managed the affordable community since April 2022, secured funding in August 2024 for a $28.1 million renovation to modernize the building's systems, amenities, and units, according to National Church Residences. The City of Cincinnati contributed $800,000 in direct capital funding toward that redevelopment to preserve housing restricted to seniors earning 50% of the area median income or below, according to a City of Cincinnati year-end review.
Gunfire Adds to a Tense Stretch for Walnut Hills
The shooting adds to recent gun violence inside Walnut Hills multifamily housing. In December, Cincinnati Police responded to a nearby Park Eden shooting, a fatal stairwell shooting at another subsidized senior housing property on Park Avenue managed by the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority. The William Howard Taft Road corridor has also seen periodic street closures and a heavier police presence tied to nearby security for VP Vance's home.
Even so, citywide gun violence has been trending downward. Cincinnati recorded 37 fewer shooting incidents and 61 fewer victims between September 2024 and September 2025 compared with the prior period, even as aggravated assaults ticked up across the city, according to the same year-end review from the City of Cincinnati.
