TRUMBULL COUNTY Man pleads guilty in fatal shooting at bar

The defendant faces up to 13 years in prison.
WARREN -- A 27-year-old city man has pleaded guilty to a voluntary manslaughter charge in a fatal shooting last year at a local bar.
Moments before a jury was to begin hearing the case against Robert C. Williams, the Deerfield Avenue man decided to plead guilty, including to a count of illegally possessing a firearm.
"I was surprised," said Dave Toepfer, an assistant Trumbull County prosecutor.
"We were all set to proceed, and then I was informed that Mr. Williams wanted to plead to the indictment."
Williams, who faces up to 13 years in prison, will be sentenced after a background check by the county probation department, said Judge Peter Kontos of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court. Williams is free on a $50,000 bond.
Neither Williams nor his attorney, Don L. Hanni Jr., could be reached. Hanni had expressed shock when learning of the indictment last year and said he was convinced of his client's innocence.
Man shot
According to the indictment, Williams shot Orison Provitt, 29, of Jackson Street, on April 30. Provitt was standing near the bar at Warren Township's Golden Stallion, police said. No one else was injured.
Township Police Lt. Don Bishop said Provitt pushed Williams moments before he was shot. Police say they are not sure why Provitt pushed Williams or the motive behind the shooting. A female bar employee said there was & quot;bad blood & quot; between the two men, who had been fighting for a long time.
"We did our job and presented the evidence and the defendant plead," said Bishop, who said police are still trying to shut down the Golden Stallion.
He said that the bar is open only during the day. He said when it was open at night there had been numerous problems, including shootings.