Multiple shootings have occurred in West Latonia within the past month, leaving residents of the Covington neighborhood taking their concerns to social media and the police.
Discussions around the shootings between have taken place on the West Latonia Neighbors Facebook page. Public comments under the posts have ranged from critical to proactive, with some urging a strong community response.
“The sad part is most of us love our neighborhood, we just do not love what is going on and we are here to try to make a change as a united front. Unfortunately bad things happen everywhere,” said the author of the West Latonia Neighbors Facebook page.
The first shooting highlighted by the page occurred on June 18 in the vicinity of the Latonia Terrance Apartment complex. Covington Police responded at 9:33 p.m. after several reports of “shots fired.” Responding officers found a crashed SUV on Latonia Avenue with a shooting victim inside. The victim was transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center to treat a gunshot wound to their leg.
“Most of the time, these are specific to people who are known to each other. It’s not random. These are not just random people that there are targeted off the street, these are people who have a connection to each other,” said Lt. Col Justin Wietholter of the Covington Police. “So the investigative piece is the key part to be able to uncover who and what the relationship was between those people and what transpired.”
Officer Rachel White, the Covington Police liaison to Latonia, said in a West Latonia neighborhood safety meeting on July 5, that the shooting was drug-related. White told residents to remain vigilant in contacting police.
On July 15 around 9 p.m., shots were reported and confirmed in the area around Mable Ave. In response, the West Latonia Neighbors group announced it was in the process of planning another neighborhood safety meeting.
According to the Covington Police, the investigation into the most recent shooting is still ongoing.
“As far as our patrol is concerned, anytime we have any kind of incidents, we’re going to step up patrols and have special area checks in those areas to ensure that we can do everything we can,” Wietholter said. “We can’t prevent everything, but we’re going to do what we can for the residents in the area, to step up patrols, and to try and be proactive regarding any kind of suspicious activity before something might occur.”
The West Latonia Neighbors have organized another safety meeting for August 4 at 5:30 p.m. at Barb Cook Park. Officer White and Covington Police Chief Rob Nader have been extended invitations, said the author of the West Latonia Neighbors Facebook page.
