Residents and community activists have worked hard the past few years trying to shed the 2nd Ward’s image as a violent and troubled neighborhood.

But four shootings in nine days — of which police have made four arrests — have again cast a shadow over the 2nd Ward and threaten efforts to clean up and bring new businesses to the neighborhood.

“The 2nd Ward is trying to upgrade and build, and this makes it harder to do,” said Bob Harris, president of the Southeast Civic Association. “We have a problem and we need to come up with a solution to abate the problem.”

Hamilton police have increased their presence in the 2nd Ward as a result of the four shootings, which occurred between Dec. 2 and Dec. 10. Police have also reached out to neighborhood residents and ministers for help in curbing the violence.

Butch Hubble, chairman of the Hamilton Community Council and a retired law enforcement officer of 23 years, said he met with Hamilton Police Chief Scott Scrimizzi to talk about possible solutions to the violence two weeks ago. Hubble, who is part of a community-business collaboration to revitalize the Central Avenue corridor, said he is frustrated by perceptions that people in the 2nd Ward “are running around with six-guns, shooting in the air and blowing people away every six minutes.”

“The stigma is, you don’t want to go to the 2nd Ward without a gun, or you get shot,” Hubble said. “The last thing our area needs is negative news like this. This will do more damage to our image than anything I can think of.”

Hubble said the 2nd Ward actually has one of the lowest crime rates in the city. According to police records, the 2nd Ward had 25 burglary and breaking and entering incidents through August of this year, the second-lowest in Hamilton.

But police say when it comes to more violent crime such as shootings, the majority of those happen in the 2nd Ward.

“Historically and currently, the higher percentage of shootings come from that part of the city,” said Hamilton police Sgt. Joey Thompson. “We will be continuing a stepped-up presence in the 2nd Ward.”

The latest shooting, which was reported about 1:05 p.m. last Monday by numerous calls to the police communications center about shots being fired, sent police to the area of Front and Hurm streets near the Neilan Apartments.

Thompson said officers and detectives saturated the area and located one of two suspects after a short foot chase that ended in the 500 block of Monument Street.

The suspect, Monquez Juan Dallas Ross, 19, of Ross Avenue, was found with a .380 handgun. He was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon/loaded, having weapons under disability and tampering with evidence, all third-degree felonies, and for obstructing official business, a second-degree misdemeanor.

Ross is being held in the Butler County Jail under a $50,028 bond. The obstructing official business charge was released Tuesday when he appeared in Hamilton Municipal Court. A preliminary hearing is slated for 8 a.m. Dec. 26 to determine if the case should be bound over to a Butler County grand jury for consideration.

In March, Ross faced similar charges, according to court records. In May, Ross entered a guilty plea in Butler County Common Pleas Court to a reduced charge of having weapons under disability, a third-degree felony, and was sentenced to nine months in prison. Ross was released to a transitional control program at an area halfway house in August. On his arrest record, Ross was listed as having a gang affiliation with the Riverside Blood.

Thompson said police believe there was another shooter involved in Monday’s incident. He also said the shootings are gang-related and are also believed to be related to the shootings between Dec. 2 and Dec. 10.

Capt. Craig Bucheit said the recent rash of shootings are “not random acts of violence but are targeted attacks that are clearly drug and gang related.”

“The police department’s ability to effectively curb violence is directly tied to the public’s willingness to cooperate and provide information,” Bucheit said. “Monday’s arrest is an excellent example of police and the public working together to keep the neighborhood safe.”

In addition to stepping up their presence, police also passed out flyers asking for the public’s help in seeking information about the previous shootings.

Hubble said from his perspective, police need to look at “getting rid of the source or the magnet of the problem.”

“Chasing bad guys one at a time isn’t going to get it,” he said. “I’m for cleaning the house. You shut down the market and they will go away.”

Between Dec. 2 and Dec. 10, there were four shootings with three people being struck by gunfire. Scrimizzi said recently that there were two factions that were fighting and no one had died from the drug-related shootings. He said the gunshot victims were reluctant to provide information to detectives, even though one person was struck by gunfire in the right eye.

Last Monday, two of the alleged shooters, Anthony DeWayne Crowder, 22, of Middletown, and Dale Allen Johnson, 25, of Norwood, were bound over to a Butler County grand jury. Johnson is being held in the Butler County Jail under a $50,000 bond, while Crowder was transferred on a detainer to the Hamilton County Jail for a charge of nonsupport of a child.

The third alleged shooter, Joseph M. Harris, 20, no address listed, waived a preliminary hearing and was bound over to a grand jury. He remains free on a $50,000 bond.

Johnson is charged with having weapons under disability, a third-degree felony, and carrying a concealed weapon, a fourth-degree felony; Crowder is charged with carrying a concealed weapon, assault on a police officer and receiving stolen property, all fourth-degree felony charges, having weapons under disability, a third-degree felony, and for possession of criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony; and Harris is charged with having weapons under disability and tampering with evidence, both third-degree felonies, carrying a concealed weapon, a fourth-degree felony, drug abuse/marijuana and criminal trespass, both fourth-degree misdemeanor.

Hubble said 2nd Ward residents get a bad rap when the perpetrators of the shootings don’t actually live in Hamilton.

“These guys are from Cincinnati, Dayton and Middletown who are coming in here,” Hubble said. “I’m not trying to downplay it by any stretch, but I am concerned that it creates the wrong image of these people’s homes and where they live.”

The first shooting incident happened about 2:12 a.m. Dec. 2 in the 500 block of South Front Street where a man suffered gunshot wounds to his right arm.

The second shooting occurred about 6:05 p.m. Dec. 8 at 12th Street and Hensley Avenue where a man reported being shot in the right upper leg. In the police report, the victim said he did not see anyone near him and was not sure how many shots were fired.

The third shooting was reported about 12:45 a.m. Dec. 9 in the 500 block of South Front Street. The victim said he was sitting in his car when an unknown person started shooting at him. He then ran to a residence in the 500 block of Monument Street to call police.

The fourth shooting occurred about 1:15 a.m. at Monument and Hurm streets where a man had just left his sister’s apartment on South Monument. The victim told police that when he reached Hurm Street, he was struck in the right eye by a gunshot from an unknown area. He told police that the ran and ended up at the McDonald’s restaurant parking lot, 20 Martin Luther King Blvd. where medics were called to treat him and take him for medical attention, the report said.

Gunshots were heard at police headquarters nearby on South Front Street and an officer went by himself on foot to the apartments located in the 0 to 100 block of Hurm Street as patrol cars were dispatched to the area. As the officer approached a stairwell to the lower apartments, he saw a weapon on the ground and the three suspects inside the small area, he said.

Police are still seeking information and have set up an anonymous tip line at 513-868-5811, ext. 2007 or residents can contact Thompson at 513-868-5811, ext. 1353.