Friday, March 31, 2000
Police narrow hunt for gunman
BY SARA J. BENNETT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LOCKLAND — Police were still searching Thursday evening for the person who shot and killed Anthony Elliot as he drove in noontime traffic on Interstate 75 on Wednesday.
Police expressed confidence, however, that they were closer to finding the shooter.
Witnesses said the killer was the passenger in a black car that pulled alongside Mr. Elliot's red Nissan 300ZX. One of six to eight shots struck Mr. Elliot, 19, of Westwood, in the head.
Police closed the southbound lanes of I-75 near Lockland for nearly three hours as they began investigating the shooting. No one else was injured, which authorities say was remarkable considering the number of cars on the expressway.
By Thursday morning, police had interviewed the passenger in Mr. Elliot's car.
Bryon Hyde, 29, of South Cumminsville fled after the shooting, then turned himself in early Thursday at the Hamilton County Justice Center.
He was confined on unrelated drug and traffic charges.
Throughout the day, police received tips from people who witnessed the shooting and from people claiming to have information about the shooter.
Using those tips and other information, police began zeroing in on a pool of suspects.
“We believe we might possibly know a motive,” said Lockland Police Chief Ken Johnson. He would not elaborate.
After Mr. Elliot was shot, his car veered to the right into a guardrail, then drifted back across all three traffic lanes before stopping at a guardrail on the other side.
“These are the types of things you see in Detroit and Los Angeles; it's not the type of thing you see in Cincinnati,” Mr. Allen said. “It's obviously a very dangerous situation.”
Lockland Police, aided by Cincinnati's Criminal Investigation Section, had interviewed at least one potential suspect by Thursday evening, Chief Johnson said. But that person was released.
It is possible the shooter stalked Mr. Elliot before shooting him, Chief Johnson said. He added that the shooting could have been drug-related.
Court records show that Mr. Elliot was charged in December with misdemeanor drug abuse involving marijuana. He had a similar charge in February.
He was due to appear in court today on a drug possession charge filed by Cincinnati Police on March 14.
Mr. Hyde is being held on charges that include possession of illegal drug paraphernalia.
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