Police probe shootings that left 2 injured


By John W. Goodwin Jr.

YOUNGSTOWN — City police are investigating two separate shootings on the North and East sides.

The shootings took place late Tuesday and early Wednesday. A teenage girl and a man in his early 20s have been hospitalized.

Police were called to the 700 block of Delaware Avenue just after 7 p.m. Tuesday for a shooting. A woman told police her 16-year-old daughter had been shot.

The woman told police she was upstairs in her home when she heard a gunshot outside. She told officers her daughter ran into the house a few minutes later screaming that she had been shot.

The girl had been shot in each of her legs below the knee and was taken to the hospital by her brother and one of her brother’s friends. She could not provide a description of the individuals responsible for the shooting.

Police later were called to the 1500 block of Ravine Avenue just after 2 a.m. Wednesday for another shooting. Officers found a 22-year-old Ravine Avenue man shot in the back.

The man had been lying on a couch in the living room of his home when a bullet came through the wall and struck him in the back, police said. He was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center and listed in critical condition.

Police found bullet holes in the front exterior of the house. A storm window on the front of the house had also been shattered. Police found 20 9mm shell casings along with seven casings from an AK-47 in front of the house.

Officers spoke with two other residents of the house who said they were awakened by the sound of rapid gunfire outside the house. Neither of the residents could provide police with any description of the individuals responsible for the shooting.