Life decision: Family contemplates what’s best for man shot in head

By Ed Runyan

The victim, David Petrosky of Warren, hasn’t responded to voices in recent days.

WARREN — The family of a 55-year-old Hall Street man shot in the head Nov. 10 at his home is considering whether to turn off the equipment keeping him alive in light of grim medical news from doctors about the likelihood that he won’t recover.

Police were alerted that David Petrosky was shot in the head about 8:41 a.m.

Christopher Moore, 31, of nearby Roosevelt Street, called 911 to tell police Petrosky had been shot in the head and might be dead. Police later charged Moore with the shooting.

Petrosky was taken to Cleveland Metro Health Center, where he has remained in critical condition and undergone surgeries to relieve the pressure on his brain. At his side have been his four children, a sister, his mother and others.

The bullet that entered Petrosky’s skull split in two, with each part damaging a different part of his brain, family members have said.

Before doctors induced a sleeplike state with medication, he was responding to voices. Doctors began to remove the medication, but Petrosky hasn’t responded, family and friends say.

Doctors told the family to consider removing the life support, said Rosanna Montecalvo, a family friend who has passed on information about Petrosky to some of her fellow Warren Western Reserve High School alumni via e-mail.

“The doctor spoke to us concerning the ‘quality of life’ that needs to be considered now,” Petrosky’s ex-wife, Bobbie Hileman, wrote in a recent e-mail.

“We’re trying to determine what my father would want,” said Petrosky’s youngest son, Anthony, 24, of Cleveland. It is likely that the family will decide by today to remove life support, he said.

Anthony Petrosky said his family has known Moore for many years.

In recent years, however, Moore has abused drugs and been in trouble with the law, Anthony Petrosky said. Court records show Moore was convicted of burglaries twice in the past 12 years.

Anthony Petrosky said he has learned that Moore got into some trouble with drug dealers the night before his father’s shooting.

He believes Moore sought help from David Petrosky the morning of the shooting. Messages on David Petrosky’s answering machine suggest this, Anthony Petrosky said.

Lt. Gary Vingle of the Warren Police Department confirmed that there were calls on Petrosky’s answering machine from Moore that day but declined to discuss the nature of the calls.

Anthony Petrosky said his father was not a pushover and didn’t have a lot of money to give, but he’d helped Moore a couple times with small amounts of money and food.

David Petrosky collected guns, mostly .22-caliber rifles, and took them to gun shows. But if Moore went to David Petrosky for a gun, David Petrosky would not have given him one, Anthony Petrosky said.

“My dad knew [Moore] was a felon, so he would never have sold it,” Anthony Petrosky said.

David Petrosky was a steel worker at Copperweld until about 10 years ago, just before it closed, Anthony said. In recent years, he spent much of his time on exercise: working out at the downtown YMCA every day, playing basketball and riding his bicycle.

When Anthony was growing up, people in the neighborhood thought of his father as “the mean dad,” Anthony Petrosky said. “People would try to be on their best behavior around our house,” Anthony said.

“They didn’t want to cross Mr. P. He just didn’t want us getting in trouble.”

Police confirmed that David Petrosky had never been in any trouble with the law.

Neighbors living beside and across the street from Petrosky said there was nothing unusual about Petrosky.

Neighbor Brady Dowell said he would sometimes talk to Petrosky when they would see each other outside. Dowell said that he’d lived across the street from Petrosky since 1995.

Another neighbor said her mother, who owned her house before her, had always told her Petrosky was a “good guy.” She always thought that as well, she said, only noticing him when he was in his side yard working in his garden.

runyan@vindy.com