YOUNGSTOWN Suspect faced charge before

Police say the defendant could have been in jail for six months.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Three months after Ralph Muldrow received probation for carrying a gun -- and no jail time -- he opened fire on two men, police say.
Muldrow, 18, of Shehy Street, now faces charges of attempted murder and felonious assault. As of this morning, he remained in the Mahoning County jail, unable to post $70,000 cash or surety bond.
He is due back in municipal court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing on the felony charges.
The shootings
The shootings took place at 11 p.m. July 22 on Cameron Avenue on the South Side. Edward P. Watson, 20, was hit in the lower right side and back; Paul C. Jackson, 37, was hit in the left forearm. Their addresses were not immediately available.
Watson remains in critical condition at St. Elizabeth Health Center.
Witnesses told police that Watson answered a woman friend's cell phone and the caller was Muldrow, her boyfriend. The woman had been distraught and, when the phone rang, she was too upset to answer it.
Muldrow, during the phone conversation, accused Watson of inappropriate behavior with the woman and they argued, reports show.
Muldrow then drove to Cameron and continued to argue with Watson in person, witnesses said. At one point, he grabbed a gun from his car and began shooting at Watson, who had taken off running with Jackson, according to reports.
Previous charges
In April, Muldrow was in municipal court charged with carrying a concealed weapon, a felony, and loud music. The weapon charge was reduced to improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, a misdemeanor. He then pleaded no contest to both charges.
On the gun charge, Judge Robert P. Milich sentenced Muldrow to 90 days in jail, suspended it all, fined him $100, placed him on one year's nonreporting probation. The seized weapon was forfeited.
The judge fined Muldrow $50 on the loud music conviction.
Lt. Robin Lees, police department spokesman, said he didn't know all the circumstances of the case that led to the reduced gun charge, but pointed out that Muldrow could have been sentenced to six months in jail on the misdemeanor.
"Had Muldrow been in jail, he wouldn't have been out in the community again last week with a gun," Lees said.
Last month, the city kicked off the federally sponsored Gun Reduction Interdiction Project. Local, state and federal law enforcement have been working together to curb the violence by getting guns off the streets and targeting convicted felons for federal prosecution.
Police Chief Robert E. Bush Jr. has said that not all criminals meet the guidelines to prosecute federally so it's important to get gun users off the street at the local level.
meade@vindy.com