A 19-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man were hospitalized with gunshot wounds after a shooting broke out overnight in Whitewater Township, sending deputies scrambling to the 5100 block of State Route 128 just after midnight. Both victims survived, but the circumstances behind the gunfire remain unclear as investigators work to piece together what happened.
According to the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, deputies were called around 12:36 a.m. Sunday to the address after reports that people had been shot. When deputies arrived, they found the two victims suffering from gunshot wounds, officials said. WKRC similarly reported that deputies were dispatched to the scene around 12:30 a.m. Sunday after the shooting at a home in the township.
Both the teenager and the young man were rushed to UC Medical Center, where their injuries were described as non-life-threatening. No further details about their conditions or recoveries have been released.
Investigators Still Piecing Together What Happened
The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Section is actively investigating the shooting, but no suspect, motive, or weapon has been publicly identified. It also hasn't been established whether more than one shooter was involved. Anyone with information is asked to call the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office at 513-586-5533 or Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040.
A Township With a History of Gunfire
Sunday's shooting adds to a string of gun violence that has rattled the rural Hamilton County township in recent years, though each incident has been distinct and unrelated to the others. In one earlier case, two men, identified as 59-year-old John Polly and 36-year-old Chris Black, were hospitalized after a Friday-night shooting in which officials said both were shot multiple times by an unknown suspect, according to WLWT. Black needed surgery and was listed in critical condition, while Polly was described as stable.
In a separate case from April 2024, Cole Hornsby was charged after a shooting that killed his neighbor, Theodore Block. WLWT reported that a judge later sentenced Hornsby to 24 years to life in prison for the killing. Another incident saw a homeowner fatally shoot a man described as an intruder inside a State Route 128 home, as reported by WCPO. That homeowner, identified as 38-year-old John Heard, was charged with weapons under disability.
None of those earlier cases are connected to Sunday's shooting, and investigators have not released any information suggesting a link. For now, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office says its Criminal Investigation Section continues working the case, hoping the public can help fill in the gaps.
