David Cohen, the man Springdale police stopped within 30 minutes of a fatal workplace shooting in Mason, has been ruled currently incompetent to stand trial.
Cohen, 34, of Hamilton, appeared Thursday, Oct. 15, before Warren County Common Pleas Judge Timothy Tepe for a competency hearing, the Journal-News reported. The hearing determined whether Cohen could understand the proceedings and assist in his own defense. Tepe ordered Cohen committed to a mental health facility for treatment to restore him to competency, according to court records.
Local 12 reported Cohen will be sent to Summit Behavioral Healthcare, a state-run psychiatric hospital that provides inpatient services to forensic and civil patients.
Cohen is charged with aggravated murder, murder and having weapons while under disability, a charge for possessing a firearm despite a prior conviction. The charges stem from the July 22 shooting at Carter Lumber on Reading Road in Mason, where investigators recovered approximately 25 shell casings near the victim.
The shooting killed Vincent "Vinny" Stoetzel, 29. Stoetzel was a father of four.
As we reported Oct. 16, Springdale police stopped Cohen after Flock license plate readers tracked his movements following the shooting. Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell credited the quick identification of Cohen as the alleged shooter and the Flock camera network for the fast arrest, according to the Journal-News.
Cohen reportedly was found with a pistol that Mason police Detective Andrew Simmons said was the same weapon used in the killing, the Journal-News reported.
Cohen had briefly worked at Carter Lumber but resigned after his first week, the week before the shooting. Fornshell told the Journal-News that Cohen quit for a "fairly innocuous reason" that did not involve any disagreements. Cohen and Stoetzel had known each other socially for about three or four weeks, Fornshell said.
"I will say that I 100% believe he was targeting Vinny," Fornshell said, according to the Journal-News.
Court records show Cohen is prohibited from possessing a firearm because of a prior crime of violence. He was sentenced in 2012 in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court to a year in prison for assault on a police officer.
If restored to competency and convicted of aggravated murder, Cohen could face life in prison without parole.
