Tale of Two Cities: Cincinnati car-jack victim shot 4x; Buffalo man spared

A 31-year-old man was in serious condition Wednesday night at University Hospital after being shot four times in Avondale.

The man, whose identity was not immediately available, was approached by two or three people after he got out of his car in the 800 block of Blair Avenue about 9 p.m., said Cincinnati Police Sgt. Richard Sulfsted.Witnesses said they heard shouting, then some shots, Sulfsted said.

Two of the suspects left in the victim's car, which was described as a late 1980s model Chevrolet Suburban, blue with a wide gray stripe around it.

Meanwhile, in a state that allows (some) law-abiding citizens to carry a concealed handgun for self-defense, a shockingly different outcome occurred in this attempted car-jacking/ robbery:

The News, Buffalo, NY

Stopped in his car at a Buffalo, N.Y., intersection, Thomas Ortolano was approached by a gunman demanding money. The motorist reached into his pocket and pulled out a handgun, sending the robber fleeing. Ortolano has a handgun permit, police said.

• Could the lifting of Ohio's unconstitutional ban on carrying a concealed weapon for self-defense have saved this Cincinnati car-jack victim?

Contact information for the area's elected officials is provided below:

State House of Representatives
• >Rep. Tyrone Yates (D-33)
Phone: (614) 466-1308
Fax: (614) 644-9494

State Senate
• >Sen. Mark Mallory (D-9) - voted against Sub. HB274
Phone: (614) 466-5980