On May 8, 2026, 25-year-old Darius Wheeler was shot and killed outside CityBird on Fountain Square in Cincinnati. According to prosecutors, a confrontation between Wheeler and 36-year-old Christopher Shipmon began as Wheeler was taking out the trash around 8:35 p.m.; prosecutors say Shipmon had waited for Wheeler outside the restaurant and then pulled a handgun. Wheeler was unarmed, tried to flee, and was struck by multiple gunshots. He was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and died of his injuries.

The Cincinnati Police Homicide Unit arrested Shipmon and he was charged with murder; a grand jury later indicted him on aggravated murder, murder, and felonious assault. Shipmon pleaded not guilty and has asserted self-defense, with defense claims that the two men wrestled over a legally possessed firearm before it discharged. Prosecutors say surveillance footage and other evidence show Shipmon as the aggressor who shot Wheeler in the back while Wheeler tried to escape.

Wheeler is remembered by his mother, Katrine, as the oldest of five and a devoted father to two young sons, ages four and six; the community held a balloon release in his memory. If anyone saw the confrontation at Fountain Square on May 8 or has information about the shooting, please come forward.