Keonte Walker

Keont'e Donyell Walker, a 21-year-old Black man, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on September 2, 1995. Known to some by the nickname "Taeflame," he was a young man whose life was remembered with an outpouring of community grief after it was cut short. Though details about his work or school life are not publicly known, the many candles lit in his memory reflect a life that touched many people.

In the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday, June 20, 2017, the quiet of Cincinnati's West End neighborhood was broken by the sound of gunfire. At approximately 3:30 a.m., a neighbor placed a call to the police, reporting the shooting. Officers from Cincinnati Police District One responded to the scene near the intersection of Baymiller and Findlay streets. There, on a sidewalk, they discovered Keonte Walker. He had sustained a fatal gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene by the Hamilton County Coroner's office.

The shooting marked the seventh homicide in the Cincinnati Police Department's District One for 2017, a notable increase from the five homicides the district had recorded for the entirety of the previous year. The West End is a historic and predominantly African-American neighborhood located just northwest of downtown Cincinnati. Like many urban communities, it has faced challenges with violence, and Keonte's death was a stark reminder of this ongoing issue. His name was later included in a list of 2017 homicide victims read by a local Fraternal Order of Police president to highlight the scale of violence impacting the city's Black community.

The Cincinnati Police Department's Criminal Investigation Section immediately began an investigation into Keonte's murder. Detectives spent countless hours working the case, as they did for all the city's homicide victims that year. However, police did not release any information about a potential suspect or motive in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. No arrests have ever been publicly announced in connection with the crime, and the case has grown cold over the years, leaving his family and community without answers or justice.

On Friday, July 7, 2017, more than two weeks after his death, family and friends gathered to say their final goodbyes to Keonte. A visitation was held from 11:00 a.m. to noon at the Walker Funeral Chapel in Mt. Healthy, followed by a funeral service. He was later laid to rest at Crown Hill Memorial Park & Mausoleum in nearby Colerain Township. The memorial page for Keonte was filled with messages of remembrance, with over 100 virtual candles lit to honor his life.

Years have passed since Keonte Walker was killed, and his case remains unsolved. The investigation is still open but inactive, pending new information. The Cincinnati Police Department continues to ask for the public’s help in solving this homicide. A reward may be available for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Anyone with information is urged to call the Criminal Investigation Section at 513-352-3542 or to leave an anonymous tip with CRIMESTOPPERS at 513-352-3040 or through P3tips.com.