James Maurice Hicks

James Maurice Hicks, a 43-year-old Black man, was a father figure to his stepson, whom he had helped raise. His own father, Keith Jones, described the close relationship between the two. His death left his family reeling; at the scene of the crime, an emotional crowd of loved ones gathered, including a woman who identified herself as his twin sister, weeping and consoling others.

On the morning of Monday, June 12, 2023, a family member called Cincinnati police to request a welfare check at Hicks’s apartment in the 1700 block of Queen City Avenue in the South Fairmount neighborhood. The caller reportedly had knowledge of a shooting, and when officers arrived just before noon, they found James Hicks deceased inside his home. He had been shot once in the chest with a handgun and was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident was recorded as the 28th homicide in Cincinnati that year.

Information from the 911 call led investigators to a suspect almost immediately. A short time after discovering Hicks, police arrested his stepson, 27-year-old Johntyn Kirkland, just down the street from the residence. A community leader later stated that the shooting had occurred during a dispute between the two men.

Authorities charged Kirkland with murder. He faced an additional charge of having weapons while under disability, as he was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a prior felony conviction. When Kirkland was 17, he had been charged as an adult for aggravated robbery, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to eight years in prison. He was released in 2021 and was still on probation at the time of the shooting. The weapon he was carrying was identified in court records as a Taurus GX4 9mm semi-automatic handgun.

In February 2025, a jury found Johntyn Kirkland guilty of murder in the shooting death of his stepfather, James Maurice Hicks.