BARBERTON, Ohio — Dacarrei Kinard, the 30-year-old man arrested in connection with an apparent road rage shooting that turned deadly on I-76 in Norton last month, was back in Barberton Municipal Court on Friday for an arrangement hearing.
A $2 million bond was set for Kinard, after previously being denied by a judge on Tuesday, June 6 and when he made his initial appearance on Saturday, June 3.
A pre-trial for Kinard has been set for July 26 at 10 a.m.
During the hearing on June 6, we learned more details of the incident in which 40-year-old George Jensen was killed as Detective Ryan Connell with the Norton Police Department testified about the case.
“When we spoke with the witnesses, they described a road rage incident involving a smaller blue vehicle and a black Camaro with tinted windows, a tinted license plate and potentially tinted taillights," Detective Connell said when questioned by the state. "The witnesses described the road rage incident where the Camaro went off the shoulder, passed several witnesses, came back onto the lane and they heard and observed shots being fired from this black Camaro into the blue, smaller vehicle. Several witnesses stopped. The Camaro then fled at a high rate of speed. That’s when we got involved.”
You can watch the full court hearing from June 6 the video below:
The defense also questioned Detective Connell about the witness statements regarding the road rage incident. Here's that conversation:
- Defense: “Anybody give you any information on what happened before the shooting?”
- Detective Connell: “I believe that the two witnesses at the scene provided an explanation as to the road rage occurring.”
- Defense: “And what explanation did they give you?”
- Detective Connell: “That a smaller blue vehicle was engaging in some form of a road rage incident with the black Camaro.”
- Defense: “And that’s the extent of what they told you?”
- Detective Connell: “That’s what they were able to provide leading up to the shooting.”
- Defense: “They couldn’t provide any further details to this road rage?”
- Detective Connell: “They stated that the smaller blue car had cut off the black Camaro.”
Detective Connell also discussed obtaining video evidence from the Ohio Department of Transportation involving the black Camaro amid their investigation.
“Upon getting to the Barber Road exit, the Camaro then makes a left-hand turn going north on Barber Road at which point it traveled past several surveillance cameras," the detective said. "One of the cameras was able to capture a license plate for the camera. The video evidence then showed that the Camaro made another left-hand turn and entered the highway going westbound on I-76 and ultimately drove back past the shooting.”
Detective Connell said Kinard was identified as the vehicle's owner through information with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
"We were able to locate a telephone number for Mr. Kinard," Detective Connell explained. "He provided that to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles on April 29 of this year when he renewed his driver’s license. Between April 29 and May 17 was a matter of two and a half weeks or so. He had just provided the BMV with a phone number, so we were able to use that phone number to make sure that Mr. Kinard was or was not with his vehicle on 76.”
He said their investigation showed Kinard was with the Camaro on I-76 and "we were able to follow the line of travel for which the Camaro did."
“What we were able to show was that Mr. Kinard’s driver’s license shows him having an address down in Columbus, which is two hours away. We were able to watch the device leave Columbus, travel up I-71 through I-76, turn around at or near Barber Road and travel back to Columbus," Detective Connell said.
The investigation also revealed a possible connection to another apparent road rage incident involving Kinard.
“In conducting our investigation here in Norton, we were able to recover eight spent shell casings on I-76," he explained. "Those shell casings were then collected as evidence and turned over to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) where they submitted them for further testing. The shell casings here in Norton matched shell casings that were recovered during an investigation in Columbus. I believe it was the beginning of April of this year where their video evidence showed a black Camaro in potentially another road rage incident where shots had been fired from this black Camaro.”
Kinard was arrested last Wednesday in Columbus two weeks after Jensen was shot and killed around 5:35 p.m. on May 17.
“The Norton Police Department worked nonstop to gather information, follow up on tips from the public, and ultimately make an identification for this suspect,” Northern Ohio U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said after Kinard's arrest.
Kinard was found in the area of 1400 Livingston Court in Columbus and taken into custody without incident, authorities said.
"Before the shooting, there appeared to be a road rage incident between the victim and another driver in a black 2018 or newer Chevy Camaro as the two traveled on Interstate 76," according to the initial report from the Norton Police Department. "The driver of the Camaro fired multiple gunshots toward the victim's car as it drove past."
The Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office says the victim’s vehicle came to a stop after it struck the concrete median.
