A Cincinnati man who returned fire during a shootout inside a crowded East End nightclub pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to illegally possessing ammunition as a previously convicted felon. Derrick Long, 30, of Spring Grove Village faces up to 15 years in prison on the federal charge, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
The plea stems from a March 1 private party at Riverfront Live attended by about 800 people. According to prosecutors and court documents reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer, surveillance video showed Franeek Cobb shoot Long several times at close range first; Long fell to the floor, then pulled out a gun and returned fire, firing at least eight rounds. Eight bystanders were wounded in the crossfire.
Hamilton County prosecutors concluded Long acted in self-defense when he returned fire, which is why state attempted murder and felonious assault charges were brought only against Cobb. "We have to look at the facts, and decide if we did bring this to trial, could this result in a conviction," Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich told the Cincinnati Enquirer in March, explaining that because Cobb instigated the shooting, he is responsible for all of the bystanders wounded.
Long’s prior felony convictions include heroin and fentanyl trafficking, carrying a concealed weapon and arson, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer — the record that made it a federal crime for him to possess the ammunition. "My office is dedicated to pursuing federal charges against those who wreak havoc on our communities through acts of violence," U.S. Attorney Dominick Gerace II said in a statement reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Long’s attorney, Clyde Bennett II, said in a statement reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer in March that the state indictment "confirms what we have said from the beginning: Mr. Long was not responsible for any injuries that occurred that night."
Long now awaits sentencing on the federal plea; no sentencing date was given in Friday’s reporting. Cobb, 25, of Bond Hill, still faces state charges including attempted murder, felonious assault and inducing panic, plus a separate federal charge of illegally possessing a gun as a convicted felon.