The man who shot and wounded a security officer and then killed himself at a University of Cincinnati psychiatric unit was mentally ill and faced charges in a November shooting, court documents say.
A grand jury heard evidence in the November shooting, which happened in the West End, but didn’t indict Isaiah Currie, officials said.
Records show Currie was being held at the Hamilton County jail as recently as Dec. 14, but a relative posted 10 percent of a $75,000 bond, and he was released.
It’s not clear where or how Currie obtained the two handguns he carried into the lobby Wednesday at UC Medical Center's Emergency Psychiatric Services.
Cincinnati Police Eliot Isaac said at news conference Thursday that one of the guns had been reported stolen in Kentucky.
Currie, 20, shot the security officer twice in the torso, Isaac said. The officer was reported to be seriously injured. Isaac didn’t update the officer’s condition Thursday, saying the family had asked for privacy.
Currie’s mental health was one of the reasons his family wanted him to be released on bond from jail, his attorney, M.J. Hugan told The Enquirer.
He was being held in isolation, Hugan said, after being charged with attacking a deputy at the jail last month.
Although Currie was being medicated, his family was concerned that continued isolation would worsen his mental state.
“They wanted to get him home, where they could help him in a better, nurturing environment,” Hugan said.
Hugan noted that even her contact with Currie was limited. When she met with him at the jail, she talked to him through a slot in the door.
Currie's criminal history includes an incident in October 2015, when court documents say he injured a UC security officer “during a struggle” at the Deaconess Health Campus. The officer suffered a serious knee injury, the documents say.
In that case, Currie, who was 18 at the time, was found not mentally competent to stand trial. While he was being held at a mental health facility in Roselawn, a judge ordered him to be forcibly medicated.
He eventually pleaded guilty, was credited for 23 days spent in confinement and was placed on probation.
Currie was arrested Nov. 2, after police said in a complaint he fired 12 rounds from a semiautomatic rifle “over Wade St. and into a park,” striking a man at least once in the arm.
Although the grand jury didn’t indict Currie, he was still being held at the Hamilton County jail on Nov. 12 when court documents say he attacked a deputy.
The deputy had opened the door to the cell to give him dinner, the documents say, and Currie punched him in the eye. Currie was given a bagged meal that day after the regular food ran out, Hugan said.
In an affidavit, the deputy said Currie “grabbed me and attempted to lift me over the top tier railing” – a 25- to 30-foot drop.
Several deputies responded, and Currie was eventually restrained. He was charged with assault and obstructing law enforcement. Those charges were pending when Wednesday’s shooting happened.
Surveillance video of the incident shows Currie pulling out two handguns as he walked through a metal detector leading into the emergency psychiatric unit. That’s when he fired at the security officer, Isaac said.
The security officer – after using a cart to shield himself – appeared at one point to try to use the cart to knock Currie down. He then ran out of the building.
Currie, holding the 9mm and .22-caliber handguns, followed him outside and fired more shots. Isaac said Currie then walked to his vehicle and tried to get in, but apparently realized he didn't have his keys.
He walked back into the building and then tried to go further into the hospital but wasn't successful.
Video footage provided by the Cincinnati Police Department showing the suspect in the University of Cincinnati Medical Center Emergency Psychiatric Service shooting on Dec. 20, 2017. Provided
An off-duty Cincinnati police officer working a detail at a nearby building responded to Psychiatric Services after hearing radio traffic. Isaac said Currie also fired at that officer, Robert Nelson, who was not injured.
“(Nelson’s) actions and the action of the other responding officers was nothing less than heroic, along with the actions of the security officer,” Isaac said.
Currie then went back into the lobby and shot himself in the head.
CPD holds a press conference in regard to the active shooter at a UC Hospital facility on Wednesday Dec. 20, 2017. The Enquirer/Phil Didion