43
Victim’s aunt tries to grasp killer’s actions
Photo
Mahoning County Coroner’s officials remove the body of 20-year-old Tequon J. Sharpe. Sharpe was found dead Saturday afternoon inside his East Judson Avenue home of a gunshot wound to the head.
Photo
At right, Youngstown Police Lt. John Kelty, center, talks to witness Erica Haynes after she discovered the body of Tequon J. Sharpe, 20, of 59 E. Judson Ave., Saturday afternoon. Haynes told police a baby girl was also inside the house but unharmed.
Photo
Youngstown police continue to investigate what may be the city’s 15th homicide of 2011. Tequon J. Sharpe, 20, was found shot to death inside his home at 59 E. Judson Ave., on Saturday afternoon. A baby girl, who was unharmed, is believed to be the daughter of the victim.
YOUNGSTOWN
The killer of Tequon J. Sharpe took the victim’s 10-month-old daughter out of her crib and placed her on or by her dying father’s body.
“With his baby there ... what kind of a monster would do that? His baby was in a crib. The person who did it had to have taken her out and laid her on him. She must have laid there over 12 hours,” said Tamara Sharpe, the victim’s aunt.
The Youngstown police report said the girl’s diaper was covered in blood, but she was physically unharmed.
Tequon Sharpe’s daughter, Quontayshia, of whom he had custody, is being cared for by her grandmother, the aunt said.
Sharpe, 20, son of Tonya Sharpe of Columbus, was found dead at 4 p.m. Saturday with a gunshot wound to the left side of his head. He was lying on the living room floor of an apartment at 59 E. Judson St., where he had lived for just a week. There were numerous spent casings around the victim.
Sharpe was the first of two homicides in the city over the weekend.
Also killed early Sunday was Jack T. Manigaul, 40, of 23 E. Avondale Ave., where the shooting occurred shortly after midnight, the result of a lovers quarrel, according to police. Also injured in the incident was Tamika Riley, Manigaul’s former girlfriend.
Youngstown Police Chief Rod Foley said Sunday that police detectives are investigating Sharpe’s activities and whereabouts in the 24 hours before his death. No arrests were reported in that homicide.
Mahoning County Coroner’s investigator Courtney Bouchie said an autopsy of Sharpe’s body was planned for Tuesday, after which the official cause and time of death would be made public.
A neighbor of Sharpe’s, Erica Haynes, said she heard what sounded like gunshots about 1 a.m. Saturday; however, Sharpe’s body was not found until about 4 p.m. Saturday after a teenage relative came to Sharpe’s house and saw a body lying on the floor and heard a baby crying. The relative went to Haynes and asked for help.
Haynes said they found the back door open, and when they went in, saw Sharpe and the baby lying in a pool of blood. They grabbed the baby and ran out and called 911.
Tamara Sharpe said the family has no idea why Sharpe was killed, although she said it might have been robbery because all of his money was gone.
“This stuff needs to stop. I live on Ravenwood Avenue, and it is common to hear gunshots. They get reported, but if the police feel you didn’t see anything, then they might not ride through until an hour later,” she said.
Tamara acknowledged that Tequon had some problems with the law, but also said he was trying to turn his life around.
“I won’t say he did a 360, but he was trying. Just three weeks ago, he got his high school diploma through a Life Skills Center and planned to attend Youngstown State University next year. Sharpe had just had the refrigerator and telephone hooked up,” his aunt said.
“If anyone has any information about Tequon’s death, they need to come forth. Too many are dying too young,” said Tamara.