Man found guilty in shooting, carjacking

The prosecutor said there isn’t much better evidence than six eyewitnesses.

YOUNGSTOWN — A guilty verdict was reached Friday afternoon in the case against a 23-year-old man accused of shooting at police and carjacking a church secretary.

After lunch, the jury heard instructions from Judge James C. Evans in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. The panel — 10 men and two women — began deliberating around 2:30 p.m. and concluded just before 4:30 p.m.

The charges against Jumal Edwards of Woodcrest Avenue are aggravated robbery and seven counts of felonious assault, one for each officer. The charges stem from July 1, 2005, when a white Cadillac was taken from the secretary at Mount Zion Church. After the carjacking, shots were fired from the Cadillac at pursuing police — who fired back — and then the car’s four occupants fled on foot into a wooded area at the dead end of Pearl Street on the East Side. No one was injured during the exchange of gunfire.

Police said Edwards was the front seat passenger and fired one of three assault rifles used to shoot at the seven officers.

Defense attorney James Melone said in court Friday that no physical evidence linked his client to the Cadillac — no fingerprints and no shell casings near the front passenger seat. He told the jury that police were “predisposed” to identify Edwards and didn’t follow their own protocol, such as a photo array, when it came to having witnesses identify suspects.

Gina Arnaut, assistant county prosecutor, said in her closing that three guns were used to shoot at police and three guns were found. No casings were found in the Cadillac’s front seat because the gun was fired outside the car and the casings ejected to the right, she said.

She told the jury that there isn’t much better evidence than six eyewitnesses out of seven officers to identify Edwards.

As for fingerprints, the guns were touched by a lot of people, Arnaut said. One officer, she said, didn’t take the time to put on gloves before handling the guns to make sure they were secure.

Trials are pending for Edwards’ co-defendants, Duniek Christian, 22, of North Garland Avenue, and Brandon C. Jackson, 23, of Truesdale Avenue.

In August, the fourth co-defendant, Craig Franklin Jr., 19, of Glenwood Avenue, was sentenced to 105 years in prison after being convicted of seven counts of felonious assault with gun specifications.