Shooting victim had told police he was marked man

Police arrested the victim in June for carrying a concealed weapon.

YOUNGSTOWN — A city man fighting for his life after being shot in the head this week told police he knew for months that someone was trying to kill him.

Patrick Coleman, 21, of Delaware Avenue, was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center late Monday after being shot on the city’s South Side earlier in the day. The hospital has not released any information about his condition.

Coleman was a passenger in a car June 23 that was stopped for traffic violations in the 1300 block of Bennington Avenue on the East Side. Officers at that time found a loaded 9mm handgun in his possession.

Coleman told police he was already on probation for a weapons violation, but he explained he needed the firearm because he was shot a short time before the June traffic stop, and there were still people trying to kill him.

He was charged with a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon at that time.

Coleman most recently was driving a gold Chevrolet Prizm in the area of Oak Hill Avenue and Chicago Street at 11:39 a.m. Monday when the vehicle was riddled with bullets, hitting Coleman twice in the head.

The car crashed into a utility pole after the shooting.

An ambulance crew began working on Coleman a short time after the shooting and determined he was still alive after suffering the head wounds.

Reports say witnesses told police that people in a light-green or blue sport-utility vehicle had been shooting at Coleman then took off before police arrived. Police did not find any shell casings in the car or immediate area of the shooting.

According to reports, police did find a loaded Glock .40-caliber handgun tucked between Coleman’s legs.

The gun fell to the floor of the car as emergency personnel worked on him.

jgoodwin@vindy.com