INITIAL REPORT:
A second teen has been charged in the shooting death of a Loveland man Friday in Middletown.
Keegan Payne, 19, of Middletown, is charged with murder and aggravated robbery, according to police.
He was taken into custody today in the Franklin area.
MORE: 16-year-old boy charged with Middletown murder to remain behind bars
Middletown Police Lt. Scott Reeve said Payne was in the car with a 16-year-old boy when they conspired to rob Stephan Cotter, 22, of Loveland, in “a drug deal gone bad.”
The 16-year-old boy fired the shots, Reeve said, but Payne also “put his hands on Cotter.”
Payne is scheduled to be arraigned today in Middletown Municipal Court.
The 16-year-old was arraigned Tuesday in Butler County Juvenile Court where Magistrate ruled he would stay in the county juvenile detention center until his next court hearing next week.
MORE : Middletown police respond to possible robbery
At about 6:30 p.m. Friday, Middletown police were called to the area of Lawn Avenue 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.
Cotter was transported to Miami Valley Hospital, where he died, according to police.
Cotter and the 16-year-old met on Facebook, and the teen arranged to buy marijuana and other drugs from Cotter near Cherry Street and Lawn Avenue, police said.
Friday night’s shooting was the city’s ninth homicide of the year, according to police.
About the Author
