Friday, August 20, 1999
Shooting death stuns family
Treasured bicycle also stolen
BY PHILLIP PINA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
As relatives of Michael Boumer plan his funeral, they are struggling to understand who would hurt him.
Mr. Boumer, a 39-year-old Elmwood Place man with cerebral palsy, was found Tuesday morning in the parking lot of a Kroger store in the 8200 block of Vine Street in Hartwell. He had been shot. His treasured bicycle was missing.
Attempts by rescue workers and University Hospital staff to save him failed. He died noon Wednesday. His mourning family was left to wonder: Who would harm someone everybody considered harmless?
“Mike was well liked. He didn't have an enemy in the world. Nobody would ever hurt Mike,” said Polly Monk, a sister-in-law. “The person who did this didn't know him at all.”
No arrests have been made in Mr. Boumer's death, as Cincinnati police continue to investigate.
Mr. Boumer grew up in Elmwood Place and was always seen riding a bicycle, said Jennifer Tolbert, who lives in Carthage. She said Mr. Boumer was quiet and never stirred up any trouble.
“He was always so nice,” she said. She never knew he had a disability until hearing about his death. Family members said he had the mental capacity of a teen-ager.
Mr. Boumer's bicycle was his treasured possession, said Tracy Parker, who along her boyfriend, John Kennedy, were friends of Mr. Boumer. He would often stop during his bike rides at their Carthage home to talk.
He had several bicycles stolen in the past, Ms. Parker said, most of them stolen from the family yard when no one was around. But he was not the type of person to struggle with a thief, she said.
“You could have just asked him for the bike and he would have given it to you,” Ms. Parker said.
As police continue their investigation, questions about Mr. Boumer's death continue to haunt friends and family. Ms. Monk said the family is struggling to deal with the pain and confusion. Funeral arrangements are still being finalized.
Anyone with information on Michael Boumer's death is asked to call Cincinnati police at 352-3542, or Crime Stoppers at 352-3040.
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