Police: Stabbing at teen's birthday in Hamilton may have been retaliation from assault in Colerain
A deadly stabbing at a teenager's birthday party in Hamilton may have been in retaliation to another attack at a different venue in Colerain Township.
On May 7, uninvited guests showed up at the quinceanera which was held at the Hamilton FOP's rental hall. Shots were fired and four people were stabbed, including Ivan Israel Diaz, 20, who died from his injuries.
Hamilton police named three murder suspects who they are looking for, Oscar Flores, Juan Flores and his son, Luis Flores.
Oscar Flores and another member of the Flores family, Alejandro Flores, are listed as felonious assault victims on a Colerain Township police report. According to that report, the two were assaulted in March at a rental facility on Harrison Road.
"We're working with Colerain police trying to determine what the connections are between the two incidents, the one that happened there and the one that happened here in Hamilton," said Det. Anthony Kiep of the Hamilton Police Department.
Hamilton police said it appears the Flores family and another family are engaged in an ongoing feud.
"When there's groups feuding, and something like this happens, there's going to be a lot of emotion, a lot of anger on both sides," said Hamilton police Sgt. Eric Taylor. "And what we want to prevent is somebody doing something else in retaliation to this and it keeps escalating, and we want to cut it at the pass."
That is one of the reasons Hamilton police are working around the clock trying to find the three suspects.
In the meantime, the secretary of migration and foreign affairs in Guanajuato, Mexico, said they are working with the Diaz family to help return the victim's body to Mexico where he's from.
A reporter in Mexico told WLWT that the Flores and Diaz families are neighbors in San Miguel, the most dangerous neighborhood of the five neighborhoods in Leon, Mexico.
The reporter, who asked not to be named, said Israel Diaz's family believes the Flores family attacked him on behalf of a cartel.
"Cartel related, we're not 100 percent sure but the investigation is ongoing," Taylor said.
Hamilton police are encouraging anyone with information to call Det. Kiep at 513-868-5811, ext. 1261. Police said they will not ask anyone about their immigration status.