Mother of 18-year-old killed at Fairfield hotel disputes narrative, believes he was lured
She claims the shooting plainly doesn’t make sense the way it’s been described.
FAIRFIELD, Ohio (WXIX) - The mother of an 18-year-old shot to death at a hotel last Sunday is skeptical of the shooter’s self-defense claim.
Kaaree Hipsher-Burton was shot around 5:30 a.m. on the second floor of the Holiday Inn Express in Fairfield. The Butler County Coroner on Wednesday ruled his death a homicide.
The 911 caller said Kaaree had a gun, was wearing a ski mask and was trying to rob multiple people in a hotel room.
“My friend answered the door, and he told us to get on the ground,” the caller said.
Later the caller remarked, “He had a firearm and he told us to get on the ground or he was going to shoot us, and I shot him.”
Officers found Kaaree dead in the hallway.
Miyah Hipsher is Kaaree’s mother.
“It’s indescribable,” Miyah said of her grief. “If they say hell is the worst place you can be, I’m in the worst place I can be.”
Miyah says her son was popular in school and even prom king, she says.
“All his employers and classmates loved him,” Miyah said. “I’ve been getting [direct messages], phone calls... thousands.”
Plainly put, according to his Miyah, her son’s death doesn’t make sense the way it’s been described.
She says he wasn’t staying at the hotel and doesn’t have ties to the area. She also says, to her knowledge, he’s never been in trouble or tried to rob anyone before.
“He don’t have a reason to rob anyone,” Miyah said. “He’s been working since he was 14. He worked with disabled children, King’s Island, McDonalds... [...]He just got off work that night.”
Other details don’t add up, she claims.
“He was killed in the hall, in the doorway, in his chest. That means he didn’t even make it through the door,” Miyah said. “The man said he was scared for his life and he was asleep... How did he get into your room?”
Miyah says she looked through Kaaree’s phone records from that night and now believes he was lured to the hotel.
“He was on a call for two minutes prior to the 911 call,” she said.
Miyah also says she doesn’t think he owns a gun.
“I don’t know what made him go to the hotel,” she said. “I have suspicions, but even with my suspicions, there’s a lot of unanswered questions I have.”
Miyah says she’s also concerned because the man who shot her son went down to the front desk at the hotel to call 911 instead of calling from his room.
No arrests have been made in this case and police have released little information.
Maj. Rebecca Ervin with the Fairfield Police Department says they will present their investigation to the prosecutor’s office for review and discussion about possible criminal charges.
Call Fairfield police at 513-829-8201 or Sgt. Pete Lagemann at 513-869-8246 if you have information that can help this investigation.
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