YOUNGSTOWN Intruder kills local man, threatens two witnesses

This marks the city's 22 homicide of the year and the fourth man to be shot to death in the city in 11 days.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Another man in his 20s -- the fourth in 11 days -- has been shot to death.
Police found 25-year-old Eugene McKinney dead on his kitchen floor at 464 Ferndale Ave. on the South Side about 3 a.m. Monday with a gunshot wound to his chest. Two spent cartridges, possibly from an assault rifle, were found near the refrigerator.
McKinney, his 20-year-old girlfriend, another woman and another man had been in the living room when someone knocked on the front door. McKinney's girlfriend told police that he answered the door and, the gunman, dressed in black, including a stocking cap, forced his way in.
Shots fired: The intruder struggled with McKinney as they moved toward the kitchen and started shooting, reports show.
As the shots rang out, the girlfriend hid behind the TV, the other woman hid behind the couch and the man visiting McKinney jumped out a bedroom window and ran to call police.
The intruder, after shooting McKinney, grabbed the victim's girlfriend and asked: "Where's the other dude? Where'd he go?" She told the gunman that the other man had jumped out a window, reports show.
With that, the intruder dragged McKinney's girlfriend into the kitchen, asking "Where's his s---?" She said it was probably on him and the gunman told her to get it.
The girlfriend told police that she removed cash from her boyfriend's pocket and handed it to the gunman.
Threats: The intruder, according to police reports, threatened both women in the house, saying "I guess I'll kill you both since you're the only witnesses left." As he ran out, he issued this warning: "If you tell anyone, I'll kill you; I have family around here."
A witness who had been visiting his aunt on Ferndale and heard two to three shots told police that, within minutes of the gunfire, the two women who had been in McKinney's house were pounding on his door and asked him to call police.
Recent deaths: McKinney is the city's 22 homicide of the year and the fourth Youngstown man to be shot to death in the city in 11 days. At this time last year, 20 homicides had been recorded.
UVaschon May, 24, was found shot to death about 12:40 a.m. Aug. 23 in woods behind 1015 Erie St. on the South Side
UJonathan McClendon, 23, was killed in drive-by shooting at 3:15 p.m. Aug. 26 near the intersection of Hudson and West Princeton avenues on the South Side.
UAnthony Bailey, 23, was shot multiple times in apparent drive-by shooting on Miami Street and ran into Jitso's bar on McGuffey Road on the East Side about 9:50 p.m. Aug. 28 and died two hours later.
As of this morning, no arrests had been made in the four homicides.
meade@vindy.com