With 45 teens shot in Cincinnati this year, 2023 could be the worst year on record

A double shooting in Bond Hill on Thursday left a 15-year-old dead and another juvenile teen wounded. So far this year, 45 teens between 13 and 17 have been shot. That’s more than any year in the past decade.

Jamir Thompkins was found shot in the 4900 block of Paddock Road just before 8:30 p.m. He was found in a parking lot with the other victim and was pronounced dead at the scene. The second victim was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

Police have not announced any arrests.

On Sunday, a 20-year-old was shot and wounded in the same block of Paddock Road.

Of the 45 victims between 13 and 17 shot this year, six have died. These teen victims account for about 15% of all the shooting victims in Cincinnati this year.

Cincinnati police have detailed data about shootings dating back to 2008. Only in 2009 did the city see more shootings of teens with 50 for the entire year.

While violence among teens is elevated, overall shooting incidents are down about 6% over last year, and homicides are down nearly 30%.

Mitch Morris, founder of Save Our Youth − Kings & Queens, responded to the shooting in Bond Hill on Thursday night. He has worked to prevent gun violence in Cincinnati for decades.

He said he suspects many of the recent shootings are part of ongoing feuds and retribution shootings among groups of teens.

He encourages parents to get more involved in their children’s lives, and he wants everyone in the community to get more involved with young people.

“Talk to them. See what’s going on with them,” Morris said. “We have to change our kids’ whole mindset.”

He said teens carry guns without fully understanding the havoc they can cause. He said even if parents don’t think their teens have a gun, they need to be concerned with who their kids are hanging out with and where they are going because some of the victims of recent shootings have been innocent bystanders.

“Be nosy,” Morris said. “Have conversations with them.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 45 teens shot in Cincinnati this year, 2023 could be worst on record