Boy's gun jams in murder attempt

LEAVITTSBURG – A 17-year-old Youngstown boy was arrested Monday, and charged as a juvenile with attempted murder, after police say he tried to shoot a township boy in the stomach with a stolen gun.

Lt. Don Bishop of the Warren Township Police Department said he was mowing grass at his home around 6 p.m. when he heard an altercation on nearby Woodside Drive.

Bishop said he called for police backup before hurrying to the scene, where he found the boy with a gun pushed into another boy’s stomach. When Bishop identified himself as a police officer, the boy attempted to hide the gun and flee, but   was soon caught by other officers.

The boy was also charged with carrying a concealed weapon and receiving stolen property and he was taken to the Juvenile Justice Center in Warren.

The gun in the boy’s possession was jammed, which means he attempted to fire it in the boy’s stomach, Bishop said. Police believe the boy, who came from Youngstown with six other people, had become involved in a dispute that involved a girl. No one else has been charged.