Son: DuBose 'didn’t do anything, and they shot him'

Shouting the by-now familiar slogans “Black Lives Matter” and “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot,” a throng of peaceful protesters took to the steps of the Hamilton County Courthouse and then the streets of Cincinnati to urge a conviction in the killing of Samuel DuBose as well as more investigations into what really happened 11 days ago in Mount Auburn.

Those who spoke at the rally before the march included several members of DuBose’s family, most notably his 9-year-old son Samuel, who took several moments to compose himself before showing his grief and anger as a heavy thunderstorm dumped rain on protesters and media alike.

“He just shot him. My daddy. He didn’t do anything and they shot him,” Samuel DuBose said. “He gave him a closed liquor bottle ... and they shot him in the head. He didn’t think he would get locked up for murder but there was the video.”

DuBose was shot and killed July 19 by then-University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing after being pulled over for a routine traffic stop. Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters Wednesday announced that a grand jury indicted Tensing on murder charges, and Tensing turned himself in soon thereafter. UC president Santa Ono later announced Tensing had been fired.

The protesters asked for the university to pay for DuBose’s funeral costs, as well as a further investigation into the other officer on the scene after the shooting, In addition, at least one speaker asked that bond be set at at $1 million or more at Tensing’s arraignment Thursday. And everyone who spoke said that only a murder conviction for Tensing would really satisfy them and the black community.

But even though the rhetoric grew heated at times, the crowd that approached 200 at the courthouse stayed peaceful. Going into Wednesday night, there were some fears of violence, given the outbreaks of civil unrest in other cities such as Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore.

In fact, one business – Staggerlee’s Carry Out in Corryville – boarded up its windows as there were discussions of more such protests and rallies both by the University of Cincinnati campus and in Washington Park. The UC rally was expected to begin at 9 p.m.

Starting in a downpour, and amid thunderclaps and lightning strikes, the original rally turned into a march from the courthouse through Over-the-Rhine – even passing along the resurrected restaurant district on Vine Street – with a stop in front of Cincinnati Police District 1.

Local Black Lives Matter movement spokesman Brian Taylor exhorted the crowd at the CPD District 1 stop not to provoke the handful of police officers standing impassively in front of the building.

“These individual officers are a trap. What they would like is an excuse to turn back the progress we have made. What they would like is one of us to touch them so that they can roll back the progress we made,” Taylor said. “We don’t have to provoke these individual police. Our power is what you see right here, hundreds of people in their face militantly calling for the decisions and the demands that we ask for.”

Cincinnati Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell came to the rally at the courthouse, spoke with attendees and even hugged one or two.

“I need to be here. This is my city,” Blackwell told The Enquirer. “I need to do my part in a leadership role to encourage these people to voice their concerns in a peaceful way.”

Blackwell added that police were prepared for any violence, but that he was “hopeful and prayerful and expecting that there won’t be.”

“I was worried that things might be rough before we could have an indictment ... I was afraid,” Blackwell said. But “I was pretty confident with what the outcome should be” after the murder charges were announced.

Tiffany Hunter of Pleasant Ridge marched with her 11-year-old son, whose father was killed by gun violence while she was pregnant with him.

“I wanted to bring my son down to show him something positive,” Hunter said. “We want to set an example for the rest of the world that we can come together without violence.”

While the majority of the crowd was black, many of the participants were white, including school counselors Rebeka Beach and Leslie Hattemer.

“I have two white biological children and two black adopted children ... the conversations are completely different,” Hattemer said.

Said Beach: “I have three black kids and the oldest was pulled over for a random stop. He reached for his license and three police officers drew a gun on him and put his hands behind his back. My son was terrified. He was going to a basketball game.”

A few others visited the site where Tensing shot DuBose, posting signs, flowers and even a bottle of DuBose’s favorite liquor in tribute.

Nearby resident Lakisha Williams has gone to the site several times since the shooting, saying she’s lit candles there every night.

“I'm lighting it for his family. Because they probably can't come out here and do it,” Williams said.

Enquirer reporters Emilie Eaton and Cameron Knight contributed.