Teens’ fight leads to death

The suspect was expected to be arraigned today.

staff report

YOUNGSTOWN — After a fight between teenagers escalated and drew in adults, shots were fired that killed Marcus Easterly, a detective said.

Easterly, 30, bleeding from the chest, was found on the ground near 510 Griffith St., in the Westlake Terrace apartments, on the North Side around 7:45 p.m. Wednesday. He was pronounced dead at St. Elizabeth Health Center.

Court records show a Lanterman Road address for the victim.

Derrell Easterly, 21, of Hammaker Street, was wounded in the leg. His relationship to Marcus wasn’t immediately known. Reports show he declined to provide detectives with information.

Lamar McKinney, 20, of Broadway Avenue, was arrested on an aggravated murder charge. He was expected to be arraigned today in municipal court.

Detective Sgt. Daryl Martin said an argument between teenagers drew in aunts and uncles, and someone called McKinney to have him come down to the fight scene. The detective said McKinney has some relationship to the kids who were fighting.

An argument started after a 14-year-old boy hit someone with a pipe, was told to leave, and the boy said he’d call his cousin, Martin said.

The investigation continues with the possibility that one person could be charged with obstruction, he said.

An undisclosed number of shell casings found near Easterly and Apartment 149 were collected by crime lab officers.

Police said a trail of blood led from the sidewalk to the door of Apartment 149. Blood was also found on the landing of the unoccupied apartment.

First officers at the shooting scene had to deal with crowd control — 100 to 150 people. All available units were dispatched to the scene, reports show.

Gregory L. Smith, 21, who lives in a Griffith Street apartment, was charged with misconduct at an emergency. Officers said he was yelling obscenities about police into the crowd, which became more rowdy.

Marcus Easterly’s death is the city’s 12th homicide of the year and the second this week. On Monday, Julius Williams, 44, of Norwood Avenue, was shot twice in the back at his North Side home around 9:30 p.m. and died later at St. Elizabeth’s. His wife, Monique Williams, 39, is charged with murder.