A man accused of shooting two 18-year-olds with a rifle, killing one, was escorted to safety during court as an audience member threatened to beat him.
Ricky Lee, 43, fired about 29 rounds from a rifle into a car on June 22 in an “unprovoked attack,” according to a detective. He is charged with the murder of Brea’l Wade, among other charges.
He made his first appearance in Hamilton County Municipal Court on June 27 in front of a packed audience, which jeered at Lee after Judge Nadine Allen acknowledged them.
One person, holding a large portrait of Wade, slammed his hand into the glass divider while screaming. He said Lee was lucky he was locked up as he was also escorted out of the courtroom.
Lee’s total bond was set at $3,010,000. He is currently being held at the Hamilton County Detention Center.
Both Wade and the other 18-year-old were taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center after the shooting, the coroner’s office previously said. The other 18-year-old sustained gunshot wounds to his right shoulder and ear, according to a Hamilton County affidavit.
The condition of the 18-year-old is unclear as of Saturday, June 27.
Lee threatened a child earlier in the day, police say
Before police said he shot the 18-year-olds, Lee threatened an 11-year-old with a handgun earlier that day, according to Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Detective Jared Ruther. Lee had been drinking while handling the gun.
Lee has a pattern of threatening people, said Assistant Hamilton County Prosecutor Kearstan Dattilo.
Ruther said Lee was violent and referenced a 2022 case where he said Lee stood on his porch and threatened to kill everyone on his street while loading an AR-15 style rifle. In that case, Lee was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was committed for treatment rather than receiving a sentence to jail.
Lee’s attorney, Madison Meredith, said her client has never had a felony and has always attended court in the last five years. He said his last true conviction was a misdemeanor, she said.
Lee is next scheduled to appear in court on July 6 at 10:30 a.m.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Man shoots into car, killing woman in ‘unprovoked attack,’ police say
Reporting by Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
