Walter Metz Jr., a 67-year-old man from Cincinnati, was found dead on June 30, 2022, in an alley behind the Hook Fish and Chicken restaurant in the West End. Witnesses reported seeing someone flee the scene and head toward a house on Dayton Street. SWAT officers surrounded that house but did not find the suspect inside.

Police later arrested 36-year-old Darnell Nelson that evening and charged him with Metz’s murder. Nelson was on parole for a federal gun possession conviction at the time and has a lengthy criminal history that includes multiple violent offenses; during court proceedings he admitted involvement in the killing. The judge set bond at $1 million.

The Homicide Unit is investigating possible links to another fatal shooting in the West End about 12 hours earlier. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Cincinnati Police Department’s Homicide Unit.