SILVERTON, Ohio — The third man charged in connection with the murder of a 9-year-old girl appeared in court Friday morning.
Da'Myiah Barton-Pickens was killed in a drive-by shooting in Silverton while inside her grandmother's home earlier this week.
The shooting happened in the 600 block of Plainfield Road in Silverton around 11:40 p.m. on Monday, July 10.
Ryan Brown, 27, was the third suspect arrested in this case on Thursday afternoon. He is charged with aggravated murder. During a press conference on Thursday, Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine 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.
In court, Brown's attorney said Brown denies all involvement in this case. The prosecution said Brown has prior weapons convictions and currently has a pending aggravated possession of drugs charge.
Brown's bond was set at $2 million.
Brown's next court appearance will be on July 24.
According to the prosecution, the drive-by shooting was done in retaliation. A relative of Barton-Pickens allegedly robbed Brown, who prosecutors said then recruited 25-year-old Qasseem Dixon to drive to the home where they fired at least 28 rounds at the house.
One of those rounds entered the home, striking 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 is also charged with the aggravated murder of Barton-Pickens. He appeared in court on Thursday after being arrested Tuesday.
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.
Another man, 22-year-old Demario Williams, was arrested and charged with carrying a concealed weapon after allegedly driving and crashing a car while police were perusing Dixon a day after the fatal shooting.
"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:
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.
"All three of these individuals are in custody and all three of these individuals are considered cowards," said McGuffey said.
"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."
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