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2 men could face more charges
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Columbus Jones, Jr.
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Braylon Rogers
- YSU Tragedy
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- Victim, 17, regains consciousness
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- In Photos: YSU Tragedy
YSU Tragedy
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YSU Tragedy 911 calls
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Interview with YSU Shooting Victim
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YSU student shooting victim, Tejohn Lawrence describing an off campus shooting early Sunday morning that left one YSU student dead.
YOUNGSTOWN
The two men accused of shooting into a house near the campus of Youngstown State University, killing one man and injuring 11 people, will face at least 13 felony charges — and that list may grow.
Braylon Rogers, 19, of East Lucius Avenue — who appears in mugshots with “Death before dishonor” tattooed across his chest — and Columbus Jones Jr., 22, of Cambridge Avenue — who appears in mugshots with “RIP” on one fist and “Bra” on the other fist — each have been charged with aggravated murder, 11 counts of felonious assault and improperly discharging a firearm into a habitation in the Sunday morning shooting.
The men were to be arraigned Monday, but new developments in the case, and the potential for new charges, held up the process until today, city prosecutors said.
Jamail Johnson, 25, of Indiana Avenue, was killed in the shooting. There were 11 other people injured in the shooting.
City Prosecutor Jay Macejko said police have come to him with additional information in the case. He said the new information will not lead to any additional arrests but may lead to additional charges against the two men.
“We are confident that we have the right people in custody,” he said. “Given the ongoing nature of the investigation, detectives came to me with possible new developments, so we decided it was prudent to wait [for arraignments].”
Prosecutors, as of Monday, would not say if any new charges are coming at the arraignment hearing but did say the charges would increase if 17-year-old victim, Shavai Owens, who was shot in the head, does not survive her wounds.
“If she takes a turn for the worse, that will be an additional aggravated-murder charge, but she remains in critical condition and detectives have spoken with her,” Macejko said.
Prosecutors plan to ask both men be kept in Mahoning County jail without bond.
Macejko said Rogers has some crimes committed as a juvenile. He would not say what those crimes are but did say prosecutors will touch on those criminal acts at today’s arraignment.
A check of Youngstown police files shows Rogers was involved in a hit-skip accident in 2009 when he was 17.
Jones has been convicted of felony burglary. He pleaded guilty to the charge in August 2007 and was sentenced to an in-house treatment program to be followed by two years’ probation. He ultimately was sentenced to three years in prison because of a probation violation in February 2008 but released in April 2009.
Police reports also show that Jones was accused of punching a woman in the face in 2007 as she fought with his girlfriend over a pair of broken glasses.
Jones also was the victim of a stabbing in 2007. According to reports, Jones was walking down Oregon Avenue when someone behind him told him to empty his pockets. Reports say Jones ignored the demand but then was grabbed from behind and felt a sharp pain, which was found to be a stab wound to his back.
It has been speculation, and mentioned in at least one police report, that the shooting at the Indiana Avenue house was connected to an earlier shooting at the Love Lounge Bar downtown. Police Capt. Rod Foley said investigators still have not been able to make any connection between the two shootings.
The shooting at the Love Lounge took place about one hour before the shooting at the North Side house. Officers heard about six shots coming from the bar and saw people running out the front door screaming.
Foley said the house party had several underage participants, which posed a concern for officers, but police have not been able to find any evidence that underage drinking took place.
He said there was no alcohol being served, and what started as a small gathering appeared to have grown by way of text messages into a party of about 50 or more people.
“I walked through the house, and there was no signs of drinking going on,” Foley added.