Dujawn Samuel McDaniel Foster III, a 21-year-old Black man from Cincinnati, Ohio, was known to friends and family as "Sam." His older sister, Deangela Weakley, described him as a young man with great promise who was working two jobs to get ahead. About a year before his death, he had graduated from a career training program with a local company, Messer Construction.
On the night of Thursday, March 28, 2024, Foster was at a large house party in the Corryville neighborhood, near the University of Cincinnati campus. The gathering took place at a short-term rental on the 200 block of Fosdick Street. Just before 11 p.m., shots were fired inside the home, causing dozens of people to scream and run out into the street. When police arrived, they found Foster had been shot. Cincinnati Fire Department personnel performed life-saving measures, but he died at the scene.
During the chaos, a 16-year-old male was also shot in the arm.
He was taken by a private vehicle to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition. Police reported that everyone involved in the shooting had fled the scene by the time they arrived.
The investigation led the Cincinnati Police Department's Homicide Unit and Fugitive Apprehension Unit to a suspect about three weeks later. On April 18, 2024, officers arrested 20-year-old Jontatum Ferguson and charged him with Foster's murder. In court, prosecutors stated that Ferguson had been attempting to rob more than one person at the party. They alleged that when Ferguson tried to rob Foster, an altercation broke out, and Ferguson fired his gun, killing him. Foster's sister said she believed her brother was targeted for armed robbery, stating, "I don't have any more tears to cry. I'm at a point right now where I want justice for my brother."
In late April 2024, a grand jury indicted Jontatum Ferguson on five felony charges, including aggravated murder and aggravated robbery. A judge set his bond at $750,000. As of April 2024, the case against Ferguson was proceeding through the court system. Authorities have asked anyone with information about the shooting to call the Homicide Unit at 513-352-3542.
