Police pinpoint suspect in teen killing

By John W. GOODWIN JR.

jgoodwin@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Photo by: Special to The Vindicator | Facebook

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Tracee Banks, 17, was killed Saturday on the West Side.

The investigation into the weekend shooting that claimed the life of a 17-year-old girl and left a former Ursuline High School football standout recovering in a local hospital has led police to one suspect.

Police have determined the person named “Melvin” is Melvin Shaw, 18, of Idlewood Avenue who had been dating Tracee Banks, 17, is now the sole suspect in the girl’s death.

Lt. Mark Milstead said police have spoken with Shaw and consider him a suspect in the shooting, but he had not been arrested as of late Monday evening.

With the shooting deaths of Banks and Marlon J. Chatman, 28, on Thursday, the city has recorded 13 homicides this year, the same number as at this time in 2009.

Banks mentions Shaw on her Twitter.com page saying she is in a “relationship with an awesome man named Melvin Shaw. He has my heart.” Shortly before the shooting, however, her feelings toward Shaw seemed to have changed as she updated her Facebook status to reflect she was no longer in a relationship.

She was found dead early Saturday morning on the living-room floor of a home at 63 Manchester Ave. on the city’s West Side. The teenager had been shot multiple times and died at the home. A police report did not list her address.

Police found a 4-year-old child she had been baby-sitting unharmed in an upstairs bedroom of the home.

Jamel Turner, a former Ursuline High football standout, also was injured in the shooting. Turner called police from a cell phone, saying he had been shot and officers would need to kick in the door to help him. Turner is an Ohio State University football recruit.

Police found him bleeding heavily from numerous gunshot wounds.

Turner had been listed as critical, but Milstead said St. Elizabeth Health Center officials have indicated that Turner will survive his injuries. Milstead said police tried to speak to Turner over the weekend, but he was too heavily sedated. He said officers are looking to speak to him as soon as he is able to give a statement.

“We are doing other things besides waiting for him to recover and speak with us, but that is the No. 1 item on our list,” Milstead said. “We are developing the evidence that we have.”

Before being taken to St. Elizabeth, Turner told police he did not know who was responsible for the shooting.

A witness, however, told police Banks had been arguing with Shaw just before the shooting.

Members of Banks’ family did not want to talk about the shooting or their loss Monday, but friends and family have poured out their hearts in messages on her Facebook page. Multiple friends left messages saying how they are shocked by the news of her death, and many said they will miss seeing the young woman and the smile she would bring to a room.

Jim Tressel, OSU head football coach, issued a statement over the weekend saying that he was praying for Turner.

Shelly Poe, a spokeswoman for the football program, said there would be no further comment Monday.

Asked if Turner was still a recruit in good standing, Poe said, “He signed in February. That’s really where that is. Until he would report to campus, we can’t really, I mean we don’t grade them by one way or another.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.