By Janice Morse
The Cincinnati Enquirer

After the June 16 arrest of Andre Lee Buck, Cincinnati police thought they had solved a homicide that happened during one of the city's most violent weekends of the year.

The slaying victim's mother breathed a sigh of relief; she thought her son's killer was going to face swift justice.

But on Wednesday, a Hamilton County grand jury declined to indict Buck in connection with the June 14 slaying of Daniel Boone Gregory, an 18-year-old Taylor Mill resident. He was fatally shot while driving his white Buick in the 500 block of East 13th Street in Over-the-Rhine.

On Thursday, police said they were disappointed, but they resolved to gather more evidence.

The victim's mother, Lisa Gregory, said she was thrown for a loop.

"I don't even know what to say; I don't know what to think," she said.

Gregory said she was astounded because detectives told her they had three eyewitnesses to the shooting, including an occupant in her son's vehicle.

"I thought that with (police) catching (Buck), my son could get justice," she said. "Now, I don't know. What does this mean now? Do they just let him go?"

An officer at the Hamilton County Justice Center said Buck remained behind bars Thursday night because of a parole officer's order to hold him. It's up to the parole officer to decide what to do next. Buck's attorney, Pete Rosenwald, couldn't be reached for comment.

Buck, 25, of Mount Airy, was released from prison Jan. 10 after serving a three-year term for a 2000 Hamilton County conviction for assault and failure to comply, state prison records show.

Cincinnati police homicide Sgt. Joe Priestle said the grand jury's refusal to indict Buck for murder right now doesn't mean the case is slowed or closed.

Detectives are confident they have the correct suspect, Priestle said, adding, "We're pretty sure that we got the right guy or we wouldn't have gone that far with it; we never would have had it go to grand jury."

E-mail jmorse@enquirer.com