'More questions than answers': Landscaper's daylight killing remains unsolved a year later

Nicholas Kernan was fatally shot in broad daylight while working in Cincinnati's Corryville neighborhood just over one year ago and his family is still left to wonder why.

Melody Kernan said that since her husband's death, the world has become a scarier place for her and her family. If something like this could happen to him, his loved ones say, then it can happen to anyone.

"Everybody has become more aware, more on edge, you know, more cautious," she said.

Thursday marked one year since Kernan was gunned down in a seemingly random act of violence. The 43-year-old was found shot in the 2900 block of Bellevue Avenue on the afternoon of May 23, 2023, and he was rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center where he died of his injuries, according to Cincinnati police.

Kernan was an avid Beatles fan who loved playing the bass guitar, dirt track racing and Christmastime, according to his family. He proposed to his wife on the observation deck of Carew Tower, his favorite Downtown landmark.

"It's just been so hard to try to figure out how to build a life without half of me," Melody Kernan said, adding their anniversary was on April 25.

Kernan was on the job with Uptown Rental Properties − where he had worked as a field technician since March 2022 − when the shooter approached him, Dan Schimberg, the company's president and CEO, previously told The Enquirer.

During their update on the case to local news media in June 2023, police said they had yet to determine whether the shooting was targeted or random.

Investigators previously released footage of a possible person of interest walking and running through the Corryville area on the day of the shooting. The man was wearing an olive-colored hoodie, a black face mask and shorts. It remains unclear if investigators ever made contact with him.

When asked Thursday whether police could give any updates about the investigation, Lt. Jonathan Cunningham said the department doesn't have any new information to share.

Cunningham urged anyone with information or who witnessed Kernan's killing to contact the Cincinnati Police Department's homicide unit at 513-352-3542 or CrimeStoppers at 513-352-3040.

While Melody Kernan has remained in touch with investigators over the past year, she says she's heard conflicting stories and the police haven't shared information if they've learned anything new.

While Uptown Rental Properties previously said the shooting was the result of an attempted robbery, the police told his wife that it may have stemmed from a gang initiation ritual.

"They've given me more questions than answers," she said. "I don't have a clue what to believe right now."

She doesn't know who killed her husband or why, but until the truth comes out, Melody Kernan doesn't believe anyone should be cleared of suspicion.

While she understands that people might be afraid to come forward with information, she said they should do the right thing and speak up.

"Somebody knows something, you know, and they just haven't come forward," she said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Nicholas Kernan shooting: Family still without answers a year later