The suspects in the Vance Avenue Labor Day homicide were likely trying to rob the victim of crack cocaine, witnesses told police.
Norman Sullivan, 52, was found lying face down in the doorway of an apartment in the 2100 block of Vance Avenue just before 4 p.m. Monday. He was shot multiple times.
Iesha Jones (Photo: hcsheriff.gov)
Domanic Gillespie (Photo: hcsheriff.gov)
A witness said Iesha Jones, 25, stood in the hallway of the apartment while Domanic Gillespie, 26, went into a bedroom with Sullivan and closed the door, court records show.
The witness then heard a gunshot and saw Gillespie and Sullivan "crash through the doorway."
Sullivan was bleeding from his head, the witness told police.
At that point, the witness saw Jones with a gun in her hand and shot Sullivan "multiple times as [he] attempted to get out of the door to the apartment."
Once Sullivan, Jones and Gillespie got out of the apartment, three to four more gunshots were heard, according to court records.
Another witness said he saw Gillespie hit Sullivan with the butt of a pistol after they crashed through the doorway.
Jones tried to also shoot that witness, but the pistol misfired, the witness said.
"... she racked the slide a few times and pointed the gun at [Sullivan] and shoot him multiple times," court records state.
Based on the witness' information, police determined only one gun was used by both suspects.
Jones had a history of obtaining crack from Sullivan, one of the witnesses said, according to court records.
That is the suspected motive behind the slaying, according to that witness.
Jones and Gillespie were arrested Wednesday and are charged with criminal homicide, felony reckless endangerment, and unlawful possession of a weapon, according to the news release. Jones also faces an attempted murder charge.
Gillespie is being held in the Hamilton County Jail on a $750,000 bond, and Jones' bond is set at $1 million.
They both have extensive arrest records in Hamilton County, with Jones' dating back to 2012 and Gillespie's to 2009.
They are both set to appear in court on Sept. 10.
Contact staff writer Rosana Hughes at rhughes@timesfreepress.com or 423- 757-6327 with tips or story ideas. Follow her on Twitter @HughesRosana.