Editor’s note: This story corrects the time and location of the shooting. We regret the errors.
WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) — A neighborhood is on edge after a deadly shooting in Warren. It marks the second homicide in the city so far in 2023.
Tuesday night was a startling night for a typically quiet neighborhood. The shooting happened around 11 p.m. in the 3300 block of Olian Avenue NW.
911 caller: “We were sitting out here. We was going to smoke a blunt. We were standing right here and then a car pulled up and started shooting.”
Police were initially sent to the area for reports of gunshots. When officers arrived, they say 18-year-old Joquan Lavar Hall was lying face down in the street.
Hall was taken to Trumbull Regional Medical Center, where he later died. Investigators say he was shot multiple times.
Voice of neighbor: “It kinda freaks me out a little bit that it’s that close and in such a quiet neighborhood. So yeah, it’s kinda freaky.”
“We take these incidents of gun violence very seriously and we have an all-hands-on-deck approach to solving them. We want our neighbors to know that we’re giving 100 percent effort to solving these crimes,” said Warren Mayor Doug Franklin.
Warren Police Capt. Robert Massucci says investigators have already located the vehicle one witness described seeing leaving the scene.
“We do have some people of interest, one that we’ve spoke to, another one that we’re trying to locate at this time. I think this is headed in the right direction,” Massucci said.
Massucci says police believe the shooting was targeted. He noted there have been several other incidents in the area within the last week. Part of the investigation now is to see if they’re all connected.
“It just seems to be that there’s a lot of those type of incidents occurring in that one block area that you got to go, ‘OK, something’s up,'” Massucci said.
Police say witness cooperation has been great. Still, anyone with information is asked to give Det. Frank Tempesta a call at 330-841-2651 or email him at ftempesta@warren.org.
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Michael Reiner contributed to this report.