An Over-the-Rhine man allegedly shot his ex-girlfriend and her date while running and wildly firing a pistol through a crowded upscale restaurant in Norwood's Rookwood Commons late Friday.

Williams

        Danny W. Williams, 33, of the 400 block of Mohawk St. surrendered to Cincinnati police at 1 a.m. Saturday. That was about two hours after the shooting at J Alexander's Restaurant on Edmondson Road.

        He was being held Saturday at the Hamilton County Justice Center on two counts of attempted murder. His bail has not been set.

        His former girlfriend, Trina D. Hatchett, 28, of Golf Manor was shot one time in the chest. She was listed in serious condition at University Hospital on Saturday night, a nursing supervisor said.

        The man Ms. Hatchett dined with, Michael Smith, 30, of Forest Park was shot once in the leg. He was chased through the restaurant by the suspect, who was firing his gun, Norwood police said. Mr. Smith was in serious condition Saturday night at University Hospital, a nursing supervisor said.

        Mr. Smith and Ms. Hatchett were on a date, Norwood police said.

        “It was chaos. Chairs were flying. Dishes were dropping. Glass was breaking,” said John Cressey, 33, of Symmes Township. “There was total confusion.

        Mr. Cressey said he had been drinking at the bar with friends for about 20 minutes before the shooting. He said the 50 people in the restaurant at the time of the shooting crawled under tables and piled on top of each other to avoid being hit.

        Mr. Cressey said there was one shot, a pause and then several more shots in rapid succession.

        After the gunfire stopped, a man wearing dark clothes and a black baseball cap walked out of the restaurant, Mr. Cressey said.

        Mr. Williams was wearing a black leather coat, black boots, a denim shirt and blue jeans when he turned himself in to authorities, according to a police report.

        After the gunman left, Mr. Cressey said he saw Ms. Hatchett bleeding while she sat in a leather booth against the restaurant's front windows. There was a black handgun on the floor near her, he said.

        “I was afraid he (the shooter) was going to come back, so I laid her down so he couldn't shoot her though the window,” said Mr. Cressey, a trained emergency medical technician.

        He praised what he described as the restaurant's “very young” staff for remaining calm.

        The mood at J Alexander's was somber on Saturday, said store manager Jason Smith, 29. He was on duty when the shooting occurred.

        “My main priority was in making sure my guests were OK and all my employees were all accounted for and OK,” he said.

        The restaurant was open Saturday, but a chaplain from Xavier University was brought in to talk to employees and lead a prayer with the staff.

        “This is in an upscale neighborhood of Hyde Park and Norwood,” Mr. Cressey said. “People would never expect anything like this to go on there.“

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