CINCINNATI -- After turning himself in to police Tuesday, Jamall Killings pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and felonious assault in the fatal shooting of a motorist who struck his 4-year-old child.
A judge set bond at $2 million Wednesday morning for the murder charge and an additional $100,000 for the assault charge. Killings' attorney, Carl Lewis, said he emphatically denies the charges. Killing will appear before a grand jury on April 14.
Jamie Urton, 44, struck Killings' child on Kenton Street between Burbank and Wilkinson streets at about noon March 24, according to police.
Jamie Urton
Police said a fight developed between the onlookers and Urton, who got out of his vehicle. Someone shot Urton, and he died later at a hospital, authorities said.
"(Killings) has been screaming up and down that he did not shoot this gun," Lewis said. "He doesn't know, in fact, who did the shooting...He was caring about his son, who had just been struck by the vehicle."
Police have now accused both Killings, 24, and Deonte Baber, 25, in Urton's death. At the courthouse Wednesday, Lewis reminded reporters a grand jury still has to hear the evidence and decide whether to indict Killings.
"The grand jury could ignore it. The grand jury could increase the charges, decrease the charges," he said. "I always tell people, we never can know anything or move forward until the grand jury has acted, and we're waiting on that."
Police released 911 calls last week that included recordings of a man apparently saying he killed Urton. As the investigation is ongoing, police declined to comment on whose voice is confessing to the shooting.
"I killed him," a man states in the call. "He's dead, you hear me? He's dead. The dude that hit you with the car, I killed him."
LISTEN: 911 calls from child struck, man shot in Walnut Hills
"I know that the community is all saying, 'What about the 911 call?' We're not admitting anything at this point," Lewis said. "We're still waiting on the evidence. There is a lot that still has to be brought forth."
In an interview from March 25, when the boy was released from the hospital, Killings claimed to not know what had happened to Urton. He said he left the scene to get medical attention for the injured child.
"I apologize for your loss. I don't condone violence. I don't teach my kids violence,” Killings said in the interview. “That should never have happened...an unfortunate situation, unfortunate event, but I hope we all can learn from this."
However, police said in court records that Killings “cause(d) the death of Jamie Urton by means of a firearm.” On March 31, police announced Baber was also wanted on murder charges as a suspect in the case.
Urton worked at the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. CEO John Mitchell said he hopes the person responsible is held accountable for committing "a terrible, heinous act."
“Jamie was a great man. He was a hard worker, very versatile, caring, a great teammate, a great friend to everyone at the agency," Mitchell said.
Police ask anyone with information on Baber's whereabouts or the shooting to call the Criminal Investigation Section at 513-352-3542 or Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040.
