COLERAIN TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Authorities have arrested three people accused of committing the mass shooting at a gender reveal party — held for a woman who was not actually pregnant — that left one person dead and eight others injured, Colerain police announced Wednesday.
Roshawn Bishop, James Echols and Michael Sanon are each facing charges in the July 9, 2017 shooting.
Gunmen burst through the front door of the Capstan Drive home and opened fire, police previously said. Autumn Garrett, 22, was killed in the shooting. The victims included three children.
The story gained widespread attention, especially after police revealed that one victim, who claimed to have been pregnant and said she lost her unborn child when she was shot in the leg, wasn't actually pregnant.
Colerain Police Chief Mark Denney previously said detectives had to look into many false leads in the early days of the investigation, including the bogus pregnancy. He said police had gotten "significant resistance" from victims.
Colerain police spokesman Jim Love said that police referred the bogus pregnancy case to prosecutors. No criminal charges appear to have been filed against her in the incident. The same woman also claimed that she was attacked on Christmas Eve 2014, and said that another woman punched her and wrote on her face. The incident was recorded on a video, but a grand jury declined to indict the suspect.
As the investigation continued, police said they believed the shooting was "in no way random" and assured other residents that they weren't in danger. Police said several people attending the party had ties to drug circles and suggested that could have been related.
Bishop, 28, is charged with two counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault and attempted murder. He is currently incarcerated at Mansfield Correctional Institution, where he is serving a five-year sentence for drug trafficking and weapon under disability convictions. Prison records show he has been there since February.
Echols, 23, is charged with aggravated murder, aggravated burglary, two counts of murder, nine counts of felonious assault, eight counts of attempted murder and cruelty to animals. He is being held in the Franklin County jail.
Sanon, 20, is charged with aggravated murder, aggravated burglary, two counts of murder, nine counts of felonious assault, eight counts of attempted murder and cruelty to animals. He's also being held in Franklin County. Jail records indicate he's facing numerous other charges there.
A Hamilton County grand jury indicted all three suspects this week, according to court records.
Colerain police said the indictments are the culmination of a 17-month investigation that involved the Ohio Attorney General's Office, Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, Cincinnati Police Department and Colerain Police Department.
"This is a big win, because these guys are just bad guys," Love said.
