Middletown boy, 16, charged with murder after ‘drug deal gone bad’

UPDATE @ 1:25 p.m.:

The 16-year-old Middletown boy will be arraigned Tuesday morning in Butler County Juvenile Court on charges of aggravated murder and aggravated robbery.

Friday night’s shooting was the city’s ninth homicide of the year, according to police.

FIRST REPORT: Middletown shooting ‘a drug deal gone wrong’

INITIAL REPORT:

A 16-year-old Middletown boy is charged with aggravated murder and aggravated robbery following a Friday night “drug deal gone bad,” according to Middletown police.

The teen was arrested and charged Monday morning, Middletown Police Lt. Scott Reeve said. He was unsure whether the teen was still in Middletown City Jail or if he had been transported to the Juvenile Detention Center in Hamilton.

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The 16-year-old is charged with shooting and killing Stephan Cotter, of Loveland, on Friday night, police said.

After being shot, Cotter was transported to Miami Valley Hospital, where he died on Saturday, according to Reeve.

Cotter and the teen met on Facebook. The teen arranged to buy marijuana and other drugs from Cotter near Cherry Street and Lawn Avenue, police said.

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At about 6:30 p.m. Friday, Middletown police were called to the area on a report of a shooting. They found Cotter slumped over and unconscious in the passenger seat of a 2012 Kia, according to a police report.

Cotter was shot in the chest area, Reeve said. An autopsy was performed by the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office on Saturday, but the results haven’t been released, the office said.

The teen, a reported runaway, was found living with a friend, according to Reeve.

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