CINCINNATI (WXIX) - Federal charges have now been filed against the two convicted felons accused of opening fire inside Riverfront Live over the weekend.
Franeek Cobb, 24, and Derrick Long, 29, are each charged federally with illegally possessing a firearm or ammunition as a convicted felon, according to United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Dominick Gerace II.
Cobb and Long were both arrested Monday, the Cincinnati Police Department announced.
"I am pleased with the aggressive and expeditious manner in which this offense was investigated. The full force of law enforcement -- including the Cincinnati Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, prosecutors, and the United States Attorney's Office -- worked in close partnership to bring these alleged violent criminals to justice," said ATF Special Agent in Charge Jorge Rosendo. "This level of coordination and commitment is exactly what makes our communities safer for everyone."
The motivation for the shooting was a "longstanding grudge" Cobb had with Long, according to Hamilton County assistant prosecutor Connor Wood.
While at Riverfront Live, a 16-and-up venue on Kellogg Avenue in the East End, on March 1, Cobb saw Long and pulled out a gun and started firing, Gerace explained.
The gunshots sent some 800 people running for cover.
Long dropped to the ground and started firing gunshots back at Cobb, according to Gerace.
Cobb dropped his gun at the venue as he ran away, the US attorney's office said. That gun was later found by law enforcement.
"The ATF determined casings recovered from the area where Long was shooting were all fired from the same .45 caliber gun," Gerace explained. "National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) examination showed that only two firearms were discharged during the shooting."
If convicted on the federal charges, Gerace says the men face up to 15 years in prison each.
Now, not only do both men face federal charges, but they also face charges at the state level after appearing in a Hamilton County courtroom Tuesday.
Cobb and Long each face a single count of felonious assault for the mass shooting at Riverfront Live, according to Cincinnati police.
Prosecutors requested a high bond for Cobb due to his criminal record.
Cobb was convicted of drug trafficking in 2020, which prohibits him from having a weapon, let alone firing it in a crowded business, court records show.
Noting, however, that Cobb only faces a single charge at this point, Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Bernard Mundy set his bond at $50,000 cash.
Should Cobb be released from the county jail, he will be under a court order to wear an ankle monitor, the judge added.
A Hamilton County grand jury will review the case for possible indictment on March 12.
Cobb's defense attorney said he suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) because he was shot previously and lost his left eye as a result. His assailant was sentenced to prison on a murder charge.
Both suspects have criminal records that prevent them from legally having guns, court records show.
Cobb pleaded guilty to a felony drug trafficking charge related to cocaine in 2020. In 2022, he pleaded guilty to having weapons under disability.
In February 2025, Cobb pleaded guilty to carrying concealed weapons and was sentenced to a year in prison; court records show he was recently released.
Long also has convictions for carrying concealed weapons and having weapons under disability.
He pleaded guilty to arson and receiving stolen property in 2023 and was sentenced to a year in prison.