Mahoning Co. prosecutor will retry man in 2005 rolling gunbattle case

YOUNGSTOWN — The county prosecutor’s office will retry the case of Duniek Christian, who was accused of being the driver in the July 1, 2005, rolling gunbattle with police on the city’s East Side, now that the Ohio Supreme Court has refused to review his appeal.

Dawn Cantalamessa, assistant Mahoning County prosecutor, said the matter will be retried because the prosecution believes it has a strong case, with seven police officers ready to testify against Christian.

In dismissing the appeal on Wednesday, the state’s top court left intact last September’s decision by the 7th District Court of Appeals.

In that decision, the three appellate judges unanimously ruled the trial judge erred in freeing Christian from jail and in declaring that he could not be retried after a jury deadlocked in his case.

For the complete story, see Friday's Vindicator and Vindy.com