Man on trial for shooting up cousin’s house

YOUNGSTOWN — A Canfield man is on trial on charges of attempted murder and firing a gun into a house, for actions at a cousin’s South Side Youngstown house Sept. 2 during a Labor Day gathering.

In opening statements to the jury in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, Steven Shandor, an assistant prosecutor, said Charles Jones, 42, of St. Andrews Drive,, became upset while attending the family party because his first cousin, Dwayne Jones, asked him to stay away from the back of the bar in the basement of Dwayne’s Aberdeen Avenue home.

“‘Dwayne said, ‘It’s my house. I’ll get the drinks,’” Shandor said, quoting Dwayne Jones.

That caused a shoving match between the cousins and resulted in Charles Jones’ being asked to leave, Shandor said.

Charles Jones began to scream and throw chairs and then threatened to kill his cousin, saying he had a gun in the car, Shandor said. “‘I’m going to come back and kill you, Dwayne,’” Shandor said, quoting Charles Jones.

The Canfield man then left in a light-blue Cadillac but returned at about 15 minutes later, around 8:45 p.m., with a gun pointed out the driver’s side window and began to fire as he came near his cousin’s house, Shandor said.

Dwayne Jones was taking out trash at the time and saw and heard his cousin fire four shots into his house. He ducked behind a chimney when he realized what was happening, Shandor said.

Read more in Wednesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com