CRIME Youngstown man charged in shooting death of friend

YOUNGSTOWN -- Thomas V. Owens, 22, of Woodland Avenue is charged with negligent homicide in the shooting death of his friend Richard E. Owens, 41, of Worthington Street.
The men were not related.
Thomas Owens was arraigned Thursday in municipal court, and bond was set at $15,000.
He will be back in court Jan. 5 for a pretrial with Judge Elizabeth A. Kobly. The charge is a first-degree misdemeanor, with a penalty of up to six months in jail and $1,000 fine.
Thomas Owens said he and his friend had been drinking and, when he went to move a gun off the couch, it went off, Detective Sgt. Gerry Maietta has said.
Thomas Owens took Richard Owens to St. Elizabeth Health Center around 12:20 a.m. Tuesday. The shooting victim, bleeding from the head, later died.
Drug charges
The detective said Thomas Owens had 16 rocks of crack cocaine on him when questioned after the shooting. At arraignment in municipal court, bond was set at $18,500 on charges of aggravated trafficking in cocaine, resisting arrest and trespassing, the clerk's office said.
He will be back in court Jan. 5 for a preliminary hearing on those charges.
Records also show that Thomas Owens has an unrelated felony drug charge that was bound over to a Mahoning County grand jury Nov. 8.