The three were killed Saturday night on Millvale Court in Cincinnati.
CINCINNATI, Ohio — Three people killed in a Saturday night shooting in Millvale are being remembered by relatives and friends as Cincinnati police pursue murder charges against a man arrested days after the attack.
Police identified the victims as Kenneth Burton, 38, Theresa Dudley, 53, and Brenea Burton, 41. Officers were called to the 2200 block of Millvale Court around 10:45 p.m. Saturday and found the three suffering from gunshot wounds. All three died at the scene, police said.
The shooting happened during what family members described as a birthday celebration for Brenea Burton. Relatives said Brenea Burton and Kenneth Burton were siblings, and Dudley was their cousin. Their deaths left family members grieving another loss in a family that had already endured tragedy.
Melissa Wilkerson Stewart, who taught Brenea Burton in fifth grade, remembered her as kind and close to her brother. “They took care of each other,” Stewart said. She also said Brenea Burton had shown strength as an adult, including by earning an adult diploma years after leaving school.
Police said the shooting appeared to be isolated. Investigators have not released a motive, and many details remain unknown, including what happened in the moments before gunfire broke out. James Lewis, 62, was later arrested and booked into the Hamilton County Justice Center on three counts of murder.
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval called the killings a horrific act of violence and said the city would support the investigation. Lewis is scheduled to be arraigned at 9 a.m. Thursday, when the case is expected to move into its first formal court stage.
As of Thursday, the investigation remained active, Lewis remained jailed without bond and the families of Kenneth Burton, Theresa Dudley and Brenea Burton were preparing for the next court step.
Author note: Last updated June 25, 2026.