Militant Black Activist Shot in Cincinnati

From the Cincinnati Enquirer:

Outspoken community activist Kabaka Oba, gunned down outside of Cincinnati City Hall while City Council was in session, remained in critical condition Thursday morning. Oba emerged from surgery Wednesday evening, moments after the suspect surrendered to police.

Howard Beatty, 52, surrendered to Police Chief Tom Streicher at York and Linn streets about 6:30 p.m., admitting that he was the person who repeatedly fired into Oba's car while it sat across the street from City Hall.

Oba identified Beatty, who is charged with felonious assault, as the shooter, police said.

The account of the actual shooting is chilling:

The passenger window of Oba's green Mustang, bearing a license plate with his name, was shot out. There were two bullet holes in the windshield. One bullet went through a window of 814 Plum St., the building behind Oba's car.

Oba was shot in the leg, arm and chest, Assistant Police Chief James Whalen said.

The shooter yelled "Yeehaw" as he fired, "like he was having fun," one witness told an officer.

Minutes after the shooting, Streicher said Oba had been targeted.

"We believe this was a specific act of violence," Streicher said.

Of course, whenever there is a buck to be made, you can find Ken Lawson spouting the most riduculous things:

Beatty's attorney, Ken Lawson, said his client acted in self-defense.

"He believes he had to protect his life," Lawson said.

Oba, 48, and Beatty had a confrontation Sunday after the broadcast of a television show, during which Oba threatened Beatty, Lawson said. But in a press conference Wednesday night, police made no mention of self-defense. Whalen said there were no weapons in Oba's car, and that Oba had a restraining order against Beatty that was supposed to keep him 500 feet away.

This guy should have been nowhere neear Oba...

Oba, by the way, is no saint himself. He is a "general" in the Black Fist activist group. They are anti-semetic and often accuse police of brutality. They are part of the problem, not the solution to the violence in the area.

All said, though, no one should get shot over whatever disagreements these two may have had. I wish for a speedy recovery for Oba and swift justice for Beatty.