Thomas Grassman, 37, of Cincinnati was killed on June 4, 2017. He was found with a gunshot wound near East McMillan and Vine streets in the Mount Auburn neighborhood and later died at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

Investigators arrested 31-year-old Verland Jones on June 26, 2017; Jones was charged with murder. Prosecutors say Jones, who had been performing as a rapper at a bar that night, got into an argument, went to his car for a gun, and then shot Grassman multiple times. Jones had an existing criminal record that included felonious assault, intimidation of a witness, domestic violence, and heroin trafficking, which the judge cited when setting a high bond. The case was presented to a grand jury and remained under investigation.