CINCINNATI – The man accused of opening fire first at Cameo Night Club on March 26 pleaded not guilty to all 38 charges levied against him in court Monday morning.
Cornell Beckley, 27, was originally charged with one count of murder for the death of 27-year-old O’Bryan Spikes. Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters announced Thursday he was charged with a second count of murder for the death of 29-year-old Deondre Davis, who had also been charged in Spikes' death.
Beckley's trial is set to begin at 9 a.m. May 30 with a pre-trial hearing on April 21. A judge issued a $1.7 million bond against Beckley in court on March 31 — $100,000 for each of the victims.
Beckley is now in court, pleading not guilty to 38 charges. @WCPO #CameoNightClub pic.twitter.com/BMAXw4SVm4
— Kristen Swilley (@KristenSwilley) April 10, 2017
Beckley's other charges include:
- Two counts of involuntary manslaughter
- Thirty counts of felonious assault
- One count of weapon under disability
- One count of illegal possession of a firearm in a liquor permit premises
- One count of carrying concealed weapons
- One count of inducing panic
If convicted of all charges, he faces a life sentence – or as Deters described it: 230 years in prison.
LISTEN: Here's how authorities now say club shooting started
Authorities arrested Beckley in Police District Five off Colerain Avenue on March 30, according to Police Chief Eliot Isaac. Davis was still in critical condition at University of Cincinnati Medical Center because of his gunshot wounds.
The incident started as an altercation in the club, then turned into a fight before it became a shootout, according to Isaac.
"It escalated with individuals being able to sneak guns inside the bar and shots being fired," Isaac said.
Police described it as a "gun battle" in court records.
The chief said at least three guns made it into the club that night, and possibly more. Police recovered 16 shell casings at the scene, and there may have been even more shots fired.
There will likely be more arrests, though the majority of those shot were simply bystanders in the club, Isaac said. There was no indication that Spikes, the man who died, was a target.
For more coverage on the Cameo Night Club shooting, visit WCPO.com/Cameo. Police ask anyone with information in the nightclub shooting to contact Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040.
