On the morning of July 5, 2022, Annise Purifie, a 24-year-old Black man, was driving in his hometown of Toledo, Ohio. As he neared the intersection of Central Avenue and Jeep Parkway, a suspect in another vehicle fired multiple rounds in a drive-by shooting. Annise was struck by gunfire six times, causing him to lose control of his car.
Toledo police officers responded to a report of shots fired at 6:31 a.m. and found Annise wounded inside his vehicle. Emergency crews rushed him to St.
Vincent Medical Center, but he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. The Lucas County Coroner’s Office subsequently ruled his death a homicide.
The investigation led to an arrest the very same day. Police took Jerome Hornbeak, 32, into custody and charged him with murder, and a judge set his bond at $1 million. Authorities then identified a second suspect, James Hairston, and began a search for him. After nearly three months, Hairston was located, arrested, and booked into the Lucas County Jail in early October 2022.
In April 2023, both men accepted responsibility for their roles in the killing. Jerome Hornbeak and James Hairston withdrew their previous pleas of not guilty and entered Alford pleas to the charge of involuntary manslaughter. Later that month, on April 24, a judge sentenced both men to serve 10 to 15 years in prison for Annise Purifie's death.
