Cincinnati Police are searching for a 30-year-old man accused of firing a shot toward a mother and her three children during a heated argument in Westwood on August 14. Brandon Brown is wanted on four counts of felonious assault, and investigators say he has a documented history of failing to show up for court dates.
According to WLWT, the shooting happened in the 2600 block of Montana Avenue, where Brown allegedly opened fire on the victims in the middle of a dispute. The station reports that Brown also carries a history of weapon and drug offenses, adding to concerns among investigators about locating him. Cincinnati Police have asked anyone with information about the incident or Brown's whereabouts to contact Crime Stoppers.
How the Confrontation Escalated
Court records reported by Local Crime News indicate the shooting unfolded on Montana Avenue between Vienna Woods Drive and Anaconda Drive after Brown got into a verbal argument with the mother, shouting an expletive directed at her and her three children before the gunfire began. A wanted notice from Greater Cincinnati / N. Kentucky Crime Stoppers describes Brown as a Black male standing 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 210 pounds, and states that police believe a single shot was fired toward the four victims during the physical altercation.
Montana Avenue functions as one of Westwood's primary east-west arterial streets, anchoring the neighborhood's historic Town Hall District that dates to the late 19th century near Harrison Avenue, according to the Westwood Civic Association. It is a corridor that links residential blocks with the neighborhood's historic commercial core, making the location of the shooting a heavily trafficked stretch rather than an isolated side street.
Westwood's Recent String of Gunfire
The Montana Avenue shooting was not the only gunfire reported in Westwood that day. Hoodline previously reported on a separate shooting on McFadden Avenue that left a man hurt, with the gunman in that case also still at large. Westwood has seen a string of violent incidents in recent months, including fatal gunfire on Harrison Avenue in early July and a shooting that left a man critical on Glenway Avenue that same month.
Westwood is Cincinnati's largest neighborhood by both land area and population, spanning more than 5 square miles and housing roughly 30,000 to 35,000 residents, or about 11 percent of the city's total population, per the Westwood Civic Association. Cincinnati Police District 3, which operates out of 2300 Ferguson Road with 161 sworn officers and a specialized Violent Crimes Squad, is leading the search for Brown. The district's jurisdiction expanded to cover 18 West Side neighborhoods spanning roughly 20 square miles after the city dissolved Police District 5 in late 2023, according to WVXU.
What Brown Could Face in Court
Each of the four felonious assault counts against Brown is a second-degree felony under Ohio Revised Code § 2903.11, carrying a potential prison term of 2 to 8 years and fines of up to $15,000 per count, according to legal guidance published by the Botnick Law Firm. Ohio law treats firing a weapon toward another person as felonious assault regardless of whether anyone is physically struck, which applies even though it remains unclear whether any of the four victims suffered injuries during the confrontation.
If prosecutors pursue firearm specifications under Ohio Revised Code § 2941.145, Brown could face an additional mandatory three-year prison term per count, served consecutively and prior to any sentence for the underlying felony. Whether Hamilton County prosecutors will seek those specifications, and whether state task force resources will be brought in to help track down Brown given his history of missing court dates, remain open questions as the investigation continues.
Citywide, Cincinnati's shooting victim totals fell by 20 percent last year to 283 victims, down from 353 in 2024 and 377 in 2023, according to police data. Even with that decline, gun violence in Westwood specifically has remained a persistent concern for District 3, which has responded to multiple shootings in the neighborhood so far this year. Anyone with information on Brown's location is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040.
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