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Police seek boys aged 15, 17, in Youngstown teen’s slaying
WARRANTS ISSUED FOR BOYS AGE 17, 15
YOUNGSTOWN
Youngstown police now believe an argument between Brandon Adkins and two teen boys ultimately led to Adkins’ murder over the weekend.
The police and the Mahoning Valley Violent Crimes Task Force are searching for the teens believed to have gunned down Adkins, 16, of East Philadelphia Avenue, on the city’s South Side.
Police issued warrants Wednesday for Rayshawn Marquise Royal, 17, and Deandre Maurice McCrary, 15, both of whom live on the South Side. The warrants charge them in the Saturday night shooting.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the teens is asked to call the police department.
Police found Adkins in the driveway of a South Avenue house surrounded by a large crowd. The Mahoning County coroner, after an autopsy, said he had been shot in the back and abdomen. He was pronounced dead by paramedics.
The police department’s Capt. Rod Foley said there is nothing in the investigation thus far to indicate any gang activity played a role in the shooting.
Foley said police believe the shooting was the direct result of an argument at a party a short distance away on Mistletoe Avenue that same evening. He said Adkins likely argued with the two suspects, and the shooting spilled over to the South Avenue home.
Detective Sgt. Dave Sweeney, lead investigator on the case, would not say if the victim or suspects are known gang members or known to police for other crimes. He would say only that anyone with knowledge of the suspects’ whereabouts should contact police and not confront them.
A resident of the South Avenue home where Adkins was found told police she was awakened by several gunshots and came downstairs to find him in the driveway.
Officers did not get a response from anyone in the crowd when they asked for witnesses. People at the scene, however, told police that Adkins had been arguing with several other males who spent time around a neighborhood store.
Sweeney said the department hopes someone comes forward with information about where police can find the suspects.
“We believe they are in the Youngstown area, but we need help from the community to find them,” he said. “We are just hoping that the public assists us.”