Cincinnati, One dies as bikers, police clash

By Peggy O'Farrell • pofarrell@enquirer.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

CAMP WASHINGTON - One man was killed and three others wounded, including two Cincinnati police officers, when a shootout erupted between officers and members of an outlaw motorcycle gang at a tavern Saturday night.
OFF THE WIRE
The man killed, who was not identified, was a member of the Iron Horsemen motorcycle club, as was one of the injured men.

Investigators with the department's vice unit arrived at JD's Honky Tonk and Emporium, in the 2300 block of Spring Grove Avenue.

Several members of the motorcycle club were sitting in a courtyard area outside the tavern when the officers, some in uniform, some in plainclothes, arrived.

The motorcycle club members fired on the officers "as they got out of the car," said Cincinnati Police Chief Tom Streicher.

Police didn't know what set off the shooting, he said. The officers were there on an active investigation, not an undercover operation, he said, and there was no history of clashes between the club and police.

"There's nothing bad going with the police with the gang itself. Motorcycle gangs are what they are. They do what they do and we do what we do. Occasionally, there's a clash, as there was tonight," he said.

As Streicher briefed the press on the incident, a helicopter circled overhead. Search dogs were deployed in a wooded area near the tavern, he said.

Sgt. Danita Kilgore said police were not searching for the shooter or shooters.

Officers called in the shooting at about 7 p.m. Officers with the Cincinnati SWAT team still were working to secure the building at 10 p.m. It was unclear if patrons still were inside the building.

"Four or five" members of the motorcycle club were taken into custody, Streicher said, as were several other people who were in the tavern at the time.

The two officers, whose names were not released, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to University Hospital, where they were listed in stable condition. One of the officers suffered a leg wound; the other was shot in the hip, Streicher said.

No information was provided on the extent of the wounded biker's injuries. He was also transported to University Hospital.

The biker who died had been in contact with SWAT officers, who were called in to secure the building. The officers were sent to recover him because police weren't sure if it was safe to send in other officers or paramedics, said Lt. Anthony Carter.

The bar was usually pretty quiet, Streicher said, and he didn't know it to be a biker hangout.

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