• over 7 years ago James e. King II

    R.I.P. Pops, Your Son James E. King II, think about you all the time.

James King, 44

Cincinnati, Ohio
August 20, 1999

Agencies: University of Cincinnati Police Ohio | Cincinnati Police Department Ohio

Cause of death: Shooting


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Last updated: almost 6 years ago

Overview

James King fired a shot in Fifth Third Bank to show that he meant business.

The shot didn't hurt anyone, but it came just after Mr. King handed a note threatening to take hostages and kill people if he didn't get a bag full of cash on Aug. 20, 1999.

Mr. King, 44, got his money and took off in a gray Chevrolet Celebrity with three Cincinnati police cruisers and a university police car close behind.

Five blocks later, Mr. King turned into the open gates of a construction site, scattering workers.

He led police on a winding course around several 15-foot-tall dirt mounds inside the site, just off Martin Luther King Drive. The construction area, about the size of a football field, is separated from UC's Morgens, Scioto and Sawyer residence halls by a chain-link fence.

The end came when Mr. King found himself trapped by dirt piles in front and police cars behind. He jumped out of the car, gun in hand. Officers ordered him to drop his weapon. He refused.

Kitty Choi, a junior in special education at the University of Cincinnati, heard the sirens and watched the scene unfold from her apartment window.

She saw Mr. King and his gun.

“Everyone came to a stop, the police jumped out, the robber jumped out, they fired, and that man just fell to the ground instantly,” Ms. Choi said.

Officers Randy Webb, Rachel Folk, Jason Drach and Adrian Gibson were cleared in subsequent investigations.

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