Joseph Goolsby, 21, suffered injuries that were not life-threatening during Monday’s shooting, Fairfield Twp. Police Chief Robert Chabali said.
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There were two others in the vehicle, a male and female, who Chabali says are witnesses.
In a 911 call, obtained by the Journal-News, a woman told a Butler County dispatcher she heard more than five gunshots
“It was like pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, oh my gosh,” the woman said, adding she heard the shots just outside her front door.
The woman said there was a crash and people were outside crying.
“The shooting happened first,” she said.
Another caller said she heard a girl say, “they shot him,” and then, “they took off running.”
Chabali said the vehicle hit three other vehicles in the parking lot after the shooting. He said the callers are correct that there were multiple shots and people were seen running away from the scene. Those people may have gotten into another vehicle and fled the scene, he said.
Detectives are making “good progress” in the case, he said, but there have been no arrests.
Garcia-Tovar graduated with a high school diploma in May from Hamilton City Schools’ Miami School as part of the school’s independent learning program, according to Joni Copas, spokeswoman for the district.
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During her attendance of Hamilton City Schools, Garcia-Tovar was a member of Hamilton Freshman School’s Navy JROTC program during the 2015-2016 school year, Copas said.
A GoFundMe account has been established for the teen’s funeral services.
“She had a big future ahead of her,” her brother Joaquin Garcia-Tovar told our news partner WCPO. “Bad things happen, and you never think it’s going to be you. Never think it’s going to be your youngest sister.”
The case remains under investigation, and anyone with information is urged to contact detective Jamison Mays at 513-785-4178.
Staff writer Michael D. Clark contributed to this report
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