Police seek slaying suspect

Sunday, August 20, 2006 The victim was shot at the feet of a group of cheerleaders, some only 4. By WILLIAM K. ALCORN VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown police detectives and the Youngstown Street Crime Unit have a suspect in mind in the fatal shooting of a 31-year-old Youngstown man in the bleachers of the Eagle Heights Academy football stadium, which was filled with families watching a youth league football game. Police would not release the name of the victim Saturday evening pending notification of his family. The shooting occurred about 3:45 p.m. in the former South High School stadium behind the charter school. The victim was taken to the emergency department at St. Elizabeth Health Center, where he later died. Detective Sgt. Elrico Alli, a police department spokesman, said police have a suspect in mind and are looking for him for questioning. Sketchy details Details of the shooting were sketchy Saturday night. Sgt. Doug Bobovnik, who was in charge of the crime scene at the stadium, however, confirmed that the victim was shot multiple times. He said that it appears the shooting resulted from an argument but that he could not confirm the report of witnesses, who said the assailant followed the victim into the stadium. According to one witness, the victim ran from Erie Street into the stadium area and up several steps on the east end of the north bleachers to escape from a man chasing him. A Volney Rogers Youth Football League game was going on between the Titans and the Sons of Thunder at the time. The victim turned around and punched the man, the witness said, and the assailant pulled a handgun and shot him several times. The victim stumbled to the ground and fell at the feet of a group of Titan cheerleaders, some as young as 4, where the assailant shot him several more times, witnesses said. It was a miracle, one woman said, that someone else was not killed. The first shots were fired into the crowd, she said. "Thank God somebody got my 4-year-old granddaughter out of the way," said Linda Bray. Her granddaughter is a Titan cheerleader. Security issue Then Bray echoed the theme of comments from several people only minutes after the shooting. "If this [game] would have been in Boardman, there would have been security, and there would have been protection," Bray said. "If these kids where white, there would have been security. All black kids are not bad," another woman said. One game had been played before the shooting, and another game was scheduled for later in the day. One coach, who asked to remain anonymous, said he was warming up his team to play after the Titans-Sons of Thunder game when the shooting took place. The coach said he ran over to see if he could help. Someone told him the man just walked up to the victim and shot him. When the shots rang out, people grabbed their kids and ran for the exits. Estimates of the crowd ranged from 500 to 800. All agreed it was a crowd of families, including babies in strollers, little children, parents and grandparents. The coach said that the Mill Creek Park police provide a presence during games at the Volney Rogers ball field in the park but that in the city, he said there is no one around. "In any other league, there would be cops around with a crowd of that size," he said. Mayor's response Mayor Jay Williams, whose nephew is a member of the Titans, said the police were focusing on obtaining witness statements that would lead to the arrest of a suspect. The mayor said the football league is privately operated and not a city-sponsored function. He said he would look into what the league can do about security. But, in any circumstance, he said, there should be adequate security at games like this. "This kind of event is not acceptable," Williams said. There was talk after the shooting about shutting down the leagues, something Williams and others said they hope does not happen. Youth football has provided opportunities over the years for thousands of young people to become good athletes and citizens. "We are not going to allow some scofflaw to come in here and take away that opportunity from today's children," the mayor added. "This is the only thing the kids have. They work all week for Saturday, and then this happens. It's real sad," one man said. Who's responsible? Randy Nub, a member of the Volney Rogers Youth League Board of Directors, said both the league and the city bear some of the responsibility for security at the games. Another person said each league team pays $400 to be used for officials and security. "A lot of other leagues have security, but we don't," another person said. Kevin Calyx, a volunteer youth football coach and head track coach at Chaney High School, said the police were called about two hours before the shooting because of a fight outside the stadium. Someone said a cruiser drove slowly along Erie Street but did not stop, he said. "It would be a tragedy if this league is closed down," Calyx said. But, other parents and guardians said they would not bring their children back to the stadium for games. alcorn@vindy.com