Cincinnati Police Arrest Third Suspect in Teen's 2025 Drive-By Murder

Three suspects are now charged in the drive-by killing of 16-year-old Thomas "T.J." Bell after Cincinnati police arrested 18-year-old Jalan Cook on April 9 and charged him with aggravated murder. The arrest, executed by the Homicide Unit and the Fugitive Apprehension Squad, came nearly seven months after 13 shots rang out from a silver SUV on Walnut Street near East McMicken Avenue, striking Bell and a 14-year-old girl in what witnesses described as pure chaos near Grant Park.

Bell, a student at Mount Auburn Preparatory Academy, was shot around 5 p.m. on September 16, 2025. He was rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he died of his injuries that night. The 14-year-old girl was also transported to UCMC and was released the following day. School spokeswoman Courtney Harritt called the killing "a devastating reminder of the toll that violence involving young people takes on our communities."

The investigation built its case one suspect at a time. Davon Marcum, then 18, was charged with murder on September 27, eleven days after the shooting. Court records show Marcum had been placed on community control in July 2025 for having weapons under disability and was actively on probation when the silver SUV rolled past Grant Park. A 17-year-old was arrested January 8 and charged with murder and felonious assault, specifically for allegedly shooting the 14-year-old girl. Prosecutors, led by assistant prosecutor Antoinette Dillard, are seeking to move that juvenile case to adult court; Juvenile Court Judge Kari Bloom has outlined a months-long process for that transfer.

Prosecutors allege that Marcum and others exited the vehicle and fired on Bell multiple times, framing the killing as coordinated rather than spontaneous. Cook's aggravated murder charge, which is distinct from the murder charge Marcum faces, likely reflects investigators' read on his specific role in the attack. In Ohio, aggravated murder carries the possibility of life in prison.

For anyone tracking how homicide investigations actually work, this case is a study in patience. Detectives threaded together surveillance footage, ballistics, witness accounts, and cell-phone data across seven months before they had the probable cause to charge a third person. Whether the investigation is now complete is something police have not publicly confirmed; no statement has been released indicating all suspects are in custody.

Anyone with information about the case can contact the Cincinnati Police Department's Homicide Unit at 513-352-3542.