CINCINNATI — A Hamilton County Juvenile Court judge dismissed charges Oct. 6 against a Cincinnati teen who had been in custody for two shootings because the "essential witness" was scared and showed no sign that he would testify.

The WCPO 9 I-Team was in court as the prosecutor requested a continuance.

"You cannot proceed without that witness — is that correct," Judge Melissa Powers asked the prosecutor.

"Yes," the prosecutor replied.

The defendant had been held at the Hamilton County Youth Center for seven months, according to his defense attorney.

Lot Tan

"These matters will be dismissed for want of prosecution," Powers said from the bench. "If the witness comes forward, the charges can be refiled."

How often does this happen?

"It's more frequent than you would like," Powers said to the I-Team.

The dramatic surge in Cincinnati shootings during the pandemic prompted a law enforcement crackdown on felons caught with illegal firearms. Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said uncooperative witnesses make it harder to hold those violent criminals accountable for their actions.

"It's really quite sad, because it feeds into that whole problem if people don't step up," Deters said.

Mitch Morris, who works with youth through the Cincinnati Works Phoenix Program, said many witnesses fear "retaliation" because they live near suspects in neighborhoods where shootings have killed people.

"When they talk about retaliation, it's serious," Morris said. "It's for real."

Despite possible fear, Morris said many witnesses are cooperating with police.

"They've been reaching out trying to say something about these shootings, so I can see a change coming," Morris said.

Still, some families of victims are still waiting for much-needed witnesses. LaVonda Evans said she is waiting for someone to come forward with enough evidence to charge the person responsible for the death of her 16-year-old son, LaDarius. LaDarius Evans was shot and killed during a quadruple shooting in June.

Courtesy of LaVonda Evans

Evans spoke at an Aug. 3 city council committee hearing asking city leaders to focus on answers to the community's gun-related violence.

"This was a loss that I had to take,” Evans said. “Half of my heart is gone, and this is what he'd want me to do."

Now, she's hopeful witnesses will overcome their fears and provide the evidence needed to prosecute her son's killer.

You can report information anonymously to police through Crime Stoppers online and by calling 513-352-3040.

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CINCINNATI — Community leaders in Price Hill are leading the charge against violence in a summer kickoff rally Saturday.

Their goal: to get ahead of the violence by doing everything they can to prevent a repeat of 2020, which Cincinnati Police say was the city's deadliest summer on record.

According to CPD data, 94 people were killed in 2020. More than half of those murders occurred from April to August, and there were nearly 500 total shootings.

So far, 31 people have been killed in Cincinnati in 2021.

That’s why leaders with the Cincinnati Works Phoenix Program want people to come outside their homes, talk about issues in their neighborhood and be a part of coming up with solutions.

Those concerns and solutions do not have to be crime-related -- it could be a safety concern, like more streetlights on a certain block.

"It's tragic when you have kids worried about ducking and dodging bullets,” said Mitch Morris with Cincinnati Works. “So we want to come in the community, bring some joy, bring some happiness and bring some resources in order to try to get people to start thinking differently and doing different things.”

The grillout event with Price Hill Safety CAT and Cincinnati Police PIVOT team starts at 3 p.m. Saturday at the corner of Ross Avenue and Warsaw Avenue.