Cincinnati police kill black man wielding BB gun they thought was real; 17th shooting in past six years

Cincinnati police recently shot and killed a 37-year-old Black armed robbery suspect in the Walnut Hills area of the city. The pistol he wielded turned out to be a BB gun that resembled a .45-caliber automatic.

This death marks the 17th Black male killed in the past six years at the hands of city police officers and the second since last April's riots, which were sparked by such deaths.

The suspect identified as William Duncan was shot in the chest and foot after he refused to drop his weapon that police officers reported they thought was real. Four officers, two White and two Black, fired 11 shots at Duncan who later died at University Hospital.

At JET press time it had not been determined which of the four officers fired the shot that killed Duncan, police spokesman Lt. Kurt Byrd said.

According to police, Duncan was chased for several blocks after he tried to rob a man at a bus stop.

A bus driver called 911 after he saw the alleged robbery. Dozens of witnesses saw the chase, and the video from the bus showed Duncan pointing a gun at several people, police said. One of the witnesses told authorities that he heard Duncan say that he wanted to die during the altercation.

Duncan, also known as "Tuff Dog," recently had been evicted from an assisted-living facility and was off his prescribed medication for schizophrenia, according to WLWT Eyewitness News 5.

Wanda Khalil, the victim's sister, told the news station that her brother heard voices and took medicine for his medical condition. She added that Duncan also drank alcohol, which diluted the medication's effects.

"He was a good person as long as he stayed on that medicine, but he was drinking on top of it," Khalil said.

Racial tensions have escalated in Cincinnati since the shooting death of Timothy Thomas last spring (JET, April 30). The 19-year-old un-armed youth died after Officer Stephen Roach shot him during a chase in the Over-the-Rhine area. Three nights of rioting followed until a citywide curfew helped restore order. The White officer was acquitted of two misdemeanor charges (JET, October 15).

In July Ricky Moore, another Black male, was killed by a White officer for carrying a shotgun as he walked the streets of the Millvale area, but no unrest in the city occurred. Authorities and police critics called the shooting justified, reports News 5.

According to department policy, the officers involved in the Duncan shooting will remain on paid administrative leave for several days while they are evaluated by police psychologists.