Cincinnati’s Oakley neighborhood was shaken Tuesday evening when 31‑year‑old Merris Kelley was shot and killed in the parking lot of the Steak ‘n Shake on Ridge Avenue near Calvert Street. Police say officers arriving on scene just after 6:20 p.m. found Kelley with multiple gunshot wounds and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Friends and family are struggling to make sense of a life cut short. Kelley was known locally as someone who cared about his community, and the news of his death quickly spread through Oakley residents still processing the loss. The grief is personal here — this wasn’t distant news, it was someone people felt they knew.
Cincinnati Police Department confirmed that the Steak ‘n Shake itself was closed at the time of the shooting. There’s no indication the restaurant was connected to the events, and the violence did not appear to be related to patrons or staff inside. Investigators have been careful to separate the place from the tragedy, noting this happened in the parking lot, not inside the business.
One person was detained by officers that night, but police have not identified that individual or said if charges have been filed. Lt. Jerome Herring told reporters that while someone is in custody, detectives are still piecing together what happened leading up to the shooting. No confirmed motive has been released.
Neighbors described a heavy police presence on Ridge Avenue well into the night as detectives canvassed the area for witnesses and evidence. Yellow crime tape cut across the otherwise quiet winter scene, and the shock of seeing a familiar parking lot turned into a crime scene has left many residents unsettled.
Kelley’s death marks another chapter in a broader conversation about community safety in Cincinnati. People in Oakley say they want answers — not just about who killed their neighbor, but how and why it happened in a place most consider part of home territory.
The Cincinnati Police Department’s Homicide Unit is urging anyone with information to reach out. As the investigation continues, family and friends are left holding memories of Kelley and asking their own questions about a life taken too soon.
