Deters: Video of Jamie Urton killing reveals racial element
There was a racial element to the Walnut Hills street slaying of Jamie Urton on March 24, Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said.
In a news conference Thursday, Deters said the killing of the 44-year-old Cincinnati Association for the Blind employee was caught on video. However, that video was not shown to the press.
The incident began when Urton struck a 4-year-old child with his vehicle on Kenton Street. Deters said Urton was going to lunch with his passenger.
"The kid ran between cars and got hit," Deters said. "[Urton's] view was totally blocked."
Deters said the video shows that instead of checking on his son's well-being, Jamall Killings went to car, opened Urton's door and began beating him.
"You'd think his first instinct would be to run to see the 4-year-old," Deters said. "No, his first instinct was to run to the car and start beating the driver."
Then Deters said Deonte Baber, 25, approached Urton's African-American passenger and told him, "get out of here, you're black." Baber then began shooting, firing five rounds, according to Deters. The Hamilton County Coroner said Urton was struck in the left thigh and bled out.
Both Baber and Killings have been charged with murder. Killings turned himself in and after some resistance is cooperating with police, Deters said. Baber is still at-large. The reward for information leading to Baber's capture totals $7,500.
"It is disgusting to see something like this happen. It is, for somebody to be targeted – and I’ve had it the other way, where I’ve had black people targeted because of their race, and I don’t care which way it goes... it's disgusting," Deters said.
Deters said the reason that ethnic intimidation has not been added as a charge against Baber and Killings is that it's only a misdemeanor.
"If there was any way I could have sought the death penalty in this case, I would have," Deters said.
On New Year's Day, a prominent attorney was also shot while driving on Kenton Street during what police called a gun battle. Deters said Urton, unfortunately, stopped in a bad neighborhood.
"In that neighborhood, I wouldn't have stopped," Deters said. "I would have driven to the police department."
Deters said that the surveillance video showing the incident would not be released to the media.
"This is on video, which we will not be releasing. Back in the old day, before you guys all sued me, I probably would have played it," Deters said. "But now that you've set the table, we're not playing it."
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