Chief: No security requested for game

Tuesday, August 22, 2006 Police said the shooting was drug-related and not tied to the game. By HAROLD GWIN VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER YOUNGSTOWN — City police said they were never asked to provide security for a youth football game at the former South High School stadium Saturday where a man was fatally shot. Chief Jimmy Hughes said he wasn't even notified that the game was taking place. There was no request from the Volney Rogers Youth Football League for a police presence, Hughes said. If security had been requested, it would have been provided, he said, although there might have been a charge for the service. A member of the league's board of directors told The Vindicator on Saturday that the city and the league both bear some responsibility for game security. The league president couldn't be reached to comment. Details of shooting Authorities said Larry D. Jones, 31, of Ravenwood Avenue, was shot multiple times in what they believe to be a dispute over a drug deal. Jones was shot in the stands and climbed over a rail onto the sideline where he collapsed near a group of young cheerleaders. The shooter followed Jones and shot him again as he lay on the ground, police said. Reports that the shooter chased Jones into the stadium were incorrect, Hughes added. Both men were attending the game, he said. The police have not identified the shooter, although officers said Sunday they were looking for Anthony M. Caulton, 25, of Youngstown. Police had then identified Caulton as the prime suspect in the fatal shooting in front of at least 600 people at the game. On Monday, police were calling him a "person of interest," one of several they were seeking to interview in the case. Hughes said a number of those people had been contacted by Monday afternoon, but Caulton wasn't among them. The chief disputed reports that police failed to respond to a call about a fight at the stadium about an hour before the shooting. There was a call about some juveniles fighting in the stands and taking the dispute into the parking lot, but the combatants had dispersed before an officer reached the scene about a minute after the call, Hughes said. That officer checked the area for several minutes but found no disturbance, the chief said, adding the fight had nothing to do with the later shooting. There is no guarantee that having armed security officers at the game would have prevented the shooting, based on the fact that the shooter was willing to kill somebody in front of hundreds of witnesses, said Detective Sgt. Rick Alli, department spokesman. No. 1 priority The brazenness of the shooter has caused "a great deal of concern" and made the case the department's No. 1 priority, Hughes said, predicting the matter will be resolved quickly. Councilman Paul Pancoe, D-6th, in whose ward the shooting occurred, said he was told the game wasn't even supposed to be at the stadium. It was originally scheduled for the Volney Rogers field in Mill Creek Park and got pre-empted by another event. The city parks department made those arrangements, Pancoe added. He predicted security forces will be visible at all future games. Alli said the early investigation has been hampered by the unwillingness of witnesses to step forward out of fear for their personal safety. The police department is willing to accept anonymous tips from anyone who saw what happened, he said, suggesting that people can call the Help Hotline by dialing 211 to relay information. "We need to take this guy off the street," Alli said. Hughes promised the department will protect any witness willing to come forward with information in the case. A home video or even a camera phone picture that captured the scene would help, he added. gwin@vindy.com