New footage showing the racial slur that was shouted during the brutal beatdown in Cincinnati, Ohio, last weekend has emerged. In the video, someone can be heard yelling the N-word as the violence begins to unfold, though it is unclear who exactly said it and to whom it was directed.
Attorney Brandon Fox, who represents defendant Jermaine Matthews, told Fox News’ CB Cotton that “it was not a Black, racist mob attacking people. These were separate fights that were triggered by racial slurs that ultimately poured gasoline on the fire.”
Fox also said that his client was not involved in smaller fights, but rather was trying to break them up. Matthews only got involved when he was slapped by a “taller White man,” according to Fox.
Matthews is facing charges of aggravated riot and assault, and his bond was set at $100,000 on Wednesday, according to FOX 19. However, he returned to court on Thursday where he faced two new counts of felonious assault and one for misdemeanor assault. According to FOX 19, the judge then set new bonds that pushed the total to $270,000.
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“I saw a little ruckus going on, saw people kind of scuffling, so kind of zoomed in, and once my phone kind of focused in, I saw the so-called victims being pretty aggressive towards the group of people that were already standing out there,” Jay Black, who witnessed the skirmish, told Fox News Digital.
He also claimed to have seen someone who was knocked to the ground get up and start fighting again.
“Once he got up, you know people were kind of backing off of him, but he was kind of still going at people, you know, and using racial slurs,” he told Fox News Digital.
Back also said that “contrary to what people think,” there were actually “a lot of people” trying to break up the fight.
Attempts to de-escalate the fight, such as one man yelling at an assailant that the victim was 62 years old, did not seem to bring down tensions. One woman, identified as Holly, was knocked unconscious in the incident that took place between Elm and Fourth Streets.
The city has been roundly criticized this week over its handling of the brawl, which set the internet ablaze.
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval responded publicly late Monday, after the beating had been circulated for about 36 hours. He had been on vacation in Canada and announced plans to cut it short and return to the city on Thursday.
“Let me be clear, there is no place for violent crime in Cincinnati, whether it’s fight or gun violence, we will pursue those responsible and we will hold them accountable no matter who they are, period,” Pureval said at a news conference on Friday.
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Additionally, a city councilwoman, Victoria Parks, is also facing public scrutiny after she said on Facebook that the victims of the attack “begged for that beat down!”
Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge later revealed that out of the approximately 100 people who witnessed the incident or were involved in the fight, only one called law enforcement.
“Trust me when I say this, had the Cincinnati Police Department been notified in real time, our officers would have responded with urgency and force to protect life,” Theetge said at the news conference on Friday.
When speaking to Fox News Digital, Black appeared to chalk the fight up to an atmosphere in which people were drinking and out late for the annual Cincinnati Jazz Fest.
“I know it didn’t it — wasn’t anything had to do with the Jazz Festival. You know, that’s what a lot of people are concerned with, we don’t want that to shine a bad light on a very good weekend. It was one of the best weekends ever. But I did see other fights going on. You know, it was just one of those deals where you got people out drinking and I’m pretty sure drinking had a lot to do with that fight,” Black said.
So far, four arrests have been made in connection to the brawl. In addition to Matthews and Merriweather, Dekyra Vernon and Dominique Kittle have also been arrested and are facing charges.
Merriweather is facing one count of felonious assault, one count of misdemeanor assault and one count of aggravated rioting. His bond has been set at $500k total. Vernon is also facing charges of felonious assault, misdemeanor assault and aggravated rioting, but her bond was set at $200k.
While Matthews’ attorney claims his client did not know Merriweather, detectives said in court earlier this week that the two coordinated with each other.
Meanwhile, Kittle, who is charged with aggravated rioting and misdemeanor assault, had his first court appearance on Saturday. His bond was set at $150k. Additionally, his attorney said on the record that Kittle suffers from paranoid schizophrenia.
Fox News Digital’s Peter D’Abrosca and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
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