Gunfire critically wounds 19-year-old driver

The victim had no gun in the car he was driving, a detective said.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Terry Briskey, with a charge of driving under suspension pending, was behind the wheel of a black Lincoln and was shot in the head as he drove, police said.
Briskey, 19, who stayed with relatives on the South Side, was hit as he drove west on West Glenaven Avenue around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. He was listed in critical condition Tuesday at St. Elizabeth Health Center.
Eleven numbered yellow markers, used by crime lab officers, stretched along the partly icy street, each signifying a casing found. The area was cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape to keep onlookers away as police gathered evidence.
The Lincoln plowed into the porch and steps of a blue, three-story house at 154 West Glenaven. The engine was still running when police arrived.
Detective Sgt. Ron Rodway said at the scene that Briskey had no identification on him. The detective said police found the identity by tracing the Lincoln's license plate to the owner, Briskey's sister.
Seeking witnesses
Rodway said the area would be canvassed for witnesses.
Two women who live in the neighborhood and heard the gunfire didn't walk over to the crime scene until they heard the wail of police and ambulance sirens. They said gunfire is common in that section of the South Side.
They asked that their names not be used.
"We hear so many gunshots," said one woman. "I just keep on going."
"When I heard the shots, I looked out my window. I thought the car was just turning around in the driveway, so I went back on the phone," the second woman said. "At first it sounded almost like a hammer hanging up Christmas decorations."
Briskey had no weapon in the Lincoln, Rodway said. The driver's side window was shattered by the spray of bullets.
The shooter's car
Detective Sgt. Daryl Martin said the Lincoln and the shooter's car had been traveling side by side. The suspect's car then continued west toward Hillman Street.
Martin said descriptions of the suspect's car included silver, white and yellow -- and imported and American-made.
Rodway said Briskey had been in court recently for a charge of driving under suspension. He had been due in municipal court Tuesday for a pretrial hearing on charges of driving under suspension and speeding that were filed Nov. 8, the clerk of court's office said. The pretrial, though, had been reset to Jan. 27 before today's events.
meade@vindy.com