NEWPORT, Ky. — The damage is still present outside of Ryan Hoskins and Katelynn Richardson's home; the only changes to the scene of Friday's fatal crash are the boards covering the windows at Press On Monmouth and the growing memorial of flowers and photos on the spot where two innocent bystanders died.
Hoskins and Richardson were inside their apartment when a driver, fleeing police at high speeds, crashed into four people just outside of Press On Monmouth coffee shop, just feet from the couple's home.
"We weren't really sure what happened in that moment," said Richardson. "We just kind of -- the windows were open and we saw smoke everywhere. Immediately there were cops with rifles."
Richardson, a nurse, raced outside to help, but by the time she got outside it was already too late.
Three suspects led police on a high-speed chase from Lower Price Hill over the Roebling Bridge, through Covington and into Newport at about 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
The pursuit ended in a crash at the intersection of Fifth and Monmouth streets, where the vehicle struck four "innocent citizens," Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac said. Two people remain hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, he said.
"A lot of activity out here right now," said Hoskins. "A lot of reminders. I mean, if he doesn't hit that column right there, he's probably in my bedroom."
The column he refers to is damaged, an indication of just how close the crash came to putting more lives in danger. Hoskins' bedroom windows are mere feet away.
The three suspects sustained minor injuries and are now in police custody, but police have not yet identified them or provided any information about them. Isaac said the pursuit began when a section of Cincinnati officers in a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms task force initiated a traffic stop after completing surveillance of "known, wanted individuals" involving weapons.
