SILVERTON, Ohio — Three men have been formally charged in connection with the murder of 9-year-old Da'Myiah Barton-Pickens in Silverton after she was killed in a drive-by shooting while inside her grandmother's home.
"All three of these individuals are in custody and all three of these individuals are considered cowards," said Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey during a July 13 press conference.
The shooting happened in the 600 block of Plainfield Road in Silverton around 11:40 p.m. on Monday, July 10.
The first of those arrested, 25-year-old Qasseem Dixon, entered the courtroom on crutches for his arraignment. He is charged with aggravated murder of Barton-Pickens.
According to the prosecution, the drive-by shooting was done in retaliation. A relative of Barton-Pickens allegedly robbed 27-year-old Ryan Brown, who prosecutors said then recruited Dixon to drive to the home where they fired at least 28 rounds at the house.
One of those rounds entered the home, hitting Barton-Pickens. She was rushed to the hospital where she later died.
During her press conference, McGuffey said she couldn't say for sure whether a robbery was the crux of the retaliation, but that she believed it may also have been drug related, based on the alleged offenders' criminal histories with substances.
"Regardless of what motive was, it is absolutely not acceptable to act in this way ... you don't go out and shoot a 9-year-old innocent girl," said McGuffey.
McGuffey wouldn't specifically say who the intended target of the shooting may have been, or that person's relationship to the family inside the home on Plainfield Road.
However, she said during the shooting the only people inside the house was one woman and two children — one of whom was Barton-Pickens. She said to her knowledge the person targeted by the violence was not inside the house when shots were fired.
Dixon's bond was set at $2.5 million.
Dixon also faces a charge of having weapons under disability. Court documents say that one day after the shooting on July 11, he was "observed through surveillance by Hamilton County Sheriff's detectives" to be in possession of a Draco AK-47 rifle with a fully loaded magazine.
McGuffey said investigators have determined that AK rifle was used during the drive-by.
However, shell casings from more than one gun were found at the house after the shooting, McGuffey said. She said two other firearms were recovered and are being tested to determine whether they were also involved.
Brown was arrested Thursday afternoon. McGuffey said he turned himself in — but detectives had already been on his trail. McGuffey said investigators had conducted surveillance on suspects they believed were involved in the drive-by, including through the use of drones.
McGuffey said Brown also faces one count of aggravated murder.
Brown was in court Friday morning. His bond was set at $2 million.
"It's beyond ridiculous that children are being shot and gunned down because people — these men and anyone like these young men — can't resolve differences without a weapon," said McGuffey.
You can watch McGuffey's full press conference below:
Surveillance video from a Sunoco gas station at the intersection of Galbraith and Daly roads captured the crash that led to the arrest of Dixon and another man, 22-year-old Demario Williams, who was allegedly driving the car that crashed.
In that footage, a person can be seen getting out of the vehicle and running away once it stopped moving after the crash. Another man can be seen limping in front of the store, but that man is taken to the ground and handcuffed.
Another driver was affected by the crash, but not seriously injured, according to the sheriff's office.
In the car, on the driver's side floorboard, investigators found a fully loaded Glock 27 .40 caliber hand gun, according to court documents.
After the crash, McGuffey said Williams ran from police but was quickly apprehended.
Williams was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, but prosecutors said the grand jury may choose to add charges tied to fleeing from law enforcement. He is being held on a $100,000 straight bond.
During his arraignment, Williams' attorney said he was "not involved at all" in the shooting the night before.
"He's a person who became involved in this situation by way of trying to help conceal this crime," said McGuffey.
She said every police resource possible was put toward tracking down and arresting anyone involved in Barton-Pickens' murder. Several different agencies, including the Cincinnati Police Department, were involved in the investigation that led to the arrests, she said.
In addition to that, contributions and information from the community came in during the investigation, said McGuffey.
"The community is cooperating — they're cooperating with us, they're talking to us, they're telling us what you're doing and we are gonna continue to protect that community and protect that information, and when people see something they are trusting us to tell us and that is why we've got these men in custody," said McGuffey.
Watch the full surveillance video here:
