CINCINNATI — A Cincinnati firefighter was taken into custody when he reported to work Tuesday morning in connection to an August shooting in Colerain Township.
In a memo to the mayor and council members, City Manager Sheryl Long said Mack Ogletree was charged with two counts of felonious assault for a shooting on Aug. 11.
"He has been placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of both the criminal investigation and an internal review in accordance with CFD's policies and procedures," the memo states.
WCPO previously reported that two people were shot and injured in the parking lot of 629 Bar in Colerain Township at around 2:30 a.m. Aug. 11.
In court on Wednesday, prosecutors said Ogletree is one of two people who fired shots at the bar that night.
Prosecutors said Ogletree and another person got into a verbal altercation before Ogletree left the bar and retrieved a gun from his car. He pointed the gun at the other person, who also retrieved a gun, prosecutors said.
"The two exchanged gunfire — I'm told over 20 shots were exchanged," the prosecutor said. "The defendant struck the victim in his head and during this exchange, struck an innocent bystander who was sitting in her vehicle. She was struck in the arm. Last I checked on her status, the bullet was still in her arm."
According to the memo, Ogletree has been a CFD firefighter for a little longer than one year. He was arrested while reporting for an overtime shift in South Fairmount but his regular assignment is to a station in Walnut Hills.
We reached out to the Cincinnati Firefighters Union, Local 48, for comment, but we did not hear back.
Rich Wendel, Ogletree's lawyer, said he denies the allegations. The judge ordered Ogletree be held on a $50,000 bond. Part of his condition for release includes no contact with the victims. The judge also said Ogletree is not allowed to be in possession of a firearm.
Breonna Schwarm, who witnessed the shooting from her bedroom, replayed that night for us Wednesday.
"It doesn't help that it was right next to my parent's bedroom, with a 4-year-old child in it," Schwarm said.
Schwarm said multiple bullets hit their home on the night of the shooting.
"If it went through my parent's bedroom, just like that, it probably would've instantly killed her," she said. "I'm afraid that it's going to get worse and worse."
Schwarm and her family said this shooting was their breaking point, and they're in the process of moving out.
In response to Ogletree's arrest, the Cincinnati Fire Union issued the following statement:
The Cincinnati Fire Fighters Union Local 48 is aware of the recent arrest of one of our firefighters.
Our thoughts are with those affected by this incident. We must allow the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation.
We are committed to upholding accountability and the integrity of our profession.
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