Brandon Phoenix was 19 when he was shot and killed on June 5, 2019, while waiting at a bus stop in the Mt. Airy neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. He had been planning to take the bus to his job at Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital and had no criminal record. Authorities say the fatal round was a stray from a drive-by shooting and that Phoenix was not the intended target.

Police arrested 22-year-old Delrico Peoples and charged him with murder, alleging Peoples had been driving a black, late-model Chevrolet during the shooting. Investigators recovered surveillance footage and interviewed several drivers who may have witnessed the incident. The prosecution’s case was complicated when a suspected murder weapon was unearthed in the Cincinnati Police Department evidence room in April 2022; the gun had not been properly tested and linked to the crime, and the discovery prompted dismissal of the charges against Peoples. Prosecutors have said they may refile.

Phoenix’s family have expressed frustration over the handling of the evidence and continue to seek justice for a hardworking, well-liked young man. Does anyone have information about the shooting or the night of June 5, 2019, that could help move the case forward?