On the evening of September 25, 2010, James Reed, a 40-year-old Black man, and his 14-year-old son, Jarenta Reed, were shot and killed while sitting in a car in Cincinnati, Ohio. The double homicide, which police described as an "execution," left a family shattered and a community searching for answers that remain elusive more than a decade later.
James Reed was a father who, despite a troubled past, was remembered by his family as a loving and committed man. According to Sybil Kelley, his fiancée at the time and Jarenta's mother, James had been released from prison about a year before the shooting after serving a 10-year sentence. She and others said he came home a changed man, even trying to attend church with his family. Kelley, who had been in a relationship with James for 20 years, described him as a "good man" who was sweet to everyone and not a violent person. He had three older children in addition to Jarenta and a younger son, Dennis, with Kelley.
Though he had been incarcerated for much of Jarenta's childhood, he was bonding with his teenage son.
Jarenta was a promising young student known for his intelligence and kindness. His mother remembered him as a straight-A honor roll student who never missed a day of school. He loved video games, music, and making people laugh. Family recalled how he could walk into a room and bring a smile to everyone's face with his peaceful, loving, and fun personality. His great-aunt, Sylvia Thomas, noted the tragedy of an "innocent teenager" being killed while simply spending time with his father.
On that Saturday night, around 9:30 p.m., James and Jarenta were in Kelley's SUV on Rammelsberg Street, a secluded, dead-end street in the Walnut Hills neighborhood. They did not live in the area, and family members were unsure why they were there. A nearby resident heard what he thought were firecrackers. When he went to investigate, he found the parked car with its engine still running and saw the two bodies inside. Investigators believe the shots were fired from inside the vehicle. Kelley later said detectives told her the killers fired 10 shots from the back seat. James was shot in the chest, and one of the victims was shot in the face.
The Cincinnati Police Department immediately launched an investigation. Detective David Gregory, who responded to the scene that night, stated that the killings occurred during an arranged drug deal that "went very wrong." He explained that people got into the back seat of the SUV to conduct the deal, and something happened that led to the shooting. While Kelley acknowledged that James sold drugs, she insisted he was not a violent man and couldn't think of anyone who would want to harm him. Police believe Jarenta was killed because he was a witness. A witness reported seeing three men fleeing the scene on foot.
In the years following the murders, the case grew cold. Police identified persons of interest but lacked the information needed to make an arrest. The family's pain was compounded by more loss; Kelley's mother, Jarenta's grandmother, died of what Kelley called a "broken heart" exactly three years to the day after the killings. The family has lived with fear and anguish, hoping for a breakthrough. In 2021, Kelley revealed that a woman had recently approached her with a tip, claiming the killer confessed to her and that Jarenta was appearing in her dreams. Kelley said the woman reported the information to Crime Stoppers, but police have not publicly commented on the lead.
The case of James and Jarenta Reed remains unsolved. Family members continue to plead for an end to the gun violence that took their loved ones. "The violence has to stop because the cemeteries are running over with all our youth," said Lashasta Kelley, Jarenta's aunt. Detectives urge anyone with information, no matter how small they think it is, to come forward to help bring closure to the family. A reward is available through Crime Stoppers for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information is asked to call the anonymous tip line at 513-352-3040.
