Officials discuss death of man shot by police near Music Hall

Lina Portman7 days ago

0 2 minutes read

Cincinnati police held a news conference Friday to release more information about the fatal police shooting of a man near the Music Hall of Over-the-Rhine Thursday evening.

Chief Teresa Theetge identified the man fatally shot by officers as 48-year-old Juan Mack.

The chief praised the officers' actions, saying they used strong tactics. During the press conference, body camera and surveillance camera videos were shown.

Theetge said the incident began with a 911 call at 6:43 p.m. reporting a stabbing on Parkcrest Lane in Westwood.

In one recording, the caller reported that a woman jumped out of a car and ran toward her garage, then a man stabbed her about 10 times and fled in a car.

According to Theetge, police located the car, a blue Toyota Camry, at the corner of Enright and Warsaw avenues in East Price Hill. She said officers noticed the driver was covered in blood and tried to stop him. But Mack refused to stop, Theetge said.

“Several times during the chase, the suspect pointed a gun at our officers,” Theetge said.

Video showed Mack stopped at Elm and W. 12th streets and got out of the Camry with a Ruger .40-caliber handgun.

He walked up the sidewalk past Memorial Hall toward Music Hall. At least a dozen police officers followed him, ordering him to stop and drop his gun. They tried to direct the crowd rushing into Music Hall for the opera back inside. A police car followed him slowly down the street, the officers using it as cover.

Mack stopped near the Music Hall as the officer continually asked him to surrender his gun.

A sergeant fired several 40 mm foam bullets at Mack, but he was still holding the weapon, Theetge said.

Theetge said Mack told officers, “I'm going to hell” and “I have a body on me.”

She said Mack told officers that if they shot him again with the foam bullets, he would “start popping” and told them to drop their weapons first.

The chief said Mack eventually raised his firearm at the officers and four officers shot Mack, killing him.

She said several officers immediately began providing aid to Mack.

Theetge said she would not release the officers' names because of Marsy's Law, a law intended to protect the identities of crime victims. The Enquirer's sister newspaper in Columbus, The Dispatch, has filed a lawsuit against police for failing to release officers' names after a shooting. In Florida, the courts ruled in favor of the press on this issue.

Theetge said she met with Mack's family Friday morning and shared the video of the incident with them. She declined to comment on the family's reaction.

“My condolences to the family,” Theetge said. “They have lost a loved one.”

The chief said it had “all the elements of a catastrophic incident” and called the officers' actions “heroic.” She said the officer used good tactics during the confrontation.

Police have not released the name of the woman who was stabbed. Theetge said she remained in critical condition Friday. She said Mack and the woman knew each other, but declined to elaborate on their relationship.

Theetge said police tried to end the pursuit with stop sticks, but it was unclear whether that was what prompted Mack to stop near the Music Hall.

Mayor Aftab Pureval and City Manager Sheryl Long also spoke. They thanked officers for keeping citizens and visitors safe. Pureval said parallel investigations have already been launched by the Cincinnati Police Department's Internal Investigations Unit and the Cincinnati Citizen Complaint Authority.

Lina Portman

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