CHEVIOT, Ohio -- Luke Ridener said he was in disbelief when he heard Robert Williams is the man police arrested in connection to the shooting death of his father, Ken Ridener.
"I've actually met the man who killed my father," Luke Ridener said. "I shook the hand of the man that killed my father. The same hand that shot and killed my father."
Ridener said his father and Williams were coworkers. Ridener's wife, Jill, said the two worked together in Norwood.
Luke Ridener said his father called Williams "Ace."
"My dad would come home from work and he'd be like 'me and Ace.' He liked Ace," Ridener said. "There were a few times where he struggled at his job. He'd always be like, 'Ace picked me up.' They'd pick each other up.
"I can't believe he's the one who did it."
Robert Williams (Photo provided)
Police said Kenneth Ridener, 40, was shot in the head at about 2:30 a.m. Saturday. He was found in a parking lot behind some businesses in Clifton Heights near West Clifton Avenue and West McMillan Street.
Robert Williams was arrested Saturday and charged with murder, according to the Cincinnati Police Department.
Luke and Jill Ridener both said they wanted Williams to spend life in prison, should he be convicted of murder.
"I'll never be able to see my father again. I'll never be able to hug my father again, see him, talk to him, look him in the eyes," Luke Ridener said. "Even if (Williams) is in prison for life, his girlfriend, wife, kids -- they can see him. They can go talk to him. I can never do that."
Ridener said he doesn't want Williams to die for his father's death, though.
"I wouldn't wish that on anybody, ever," he said. "Even if their father murdered my father -- for his kids, I wouldn't want him to get the death penalty."
Kenneth Ridener (Photo provided)
Ridener has an older sister, but said he knows he's the "man of the house" now.
"My mom and my sister are really hurting," Ridener said. "My father is gone, but I know my father would want me to be strong for my mother and sister."
Police are still accepting tips in connection to the shooting.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Cincinnati Police Department's Criminal Investigation Section at 513-352-3542, or Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040, or submit a tip at P3tips.com. Callers can remain anonymous and could receive compensation for their information.
