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Youngstown police: 3 murders may be linked
YOUNGSTOWN
No arrests have been made in the murders of Joshua Davis, Tequon Sharpe or Jerome Miller, but police are working now on the theory all three homicides may be related.
Davis, 17, of 135 Willis Ave., was found shot in the left cheek and upper right groin. He was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center and pronounced dead early Sept. 18. The teenager’s mother said she saw a dark-colored SUV heading toward Market Street after the shooting.
Sharpe, 20, of East Judson Avenue, was found at 3:45 p.m. Oct. 8 shot in the head in his home. His 10-month-old daughter was found unharmed but covered in blood lying on top of his body.
Miller, also known as “Noodle,” 22, of Overland Avenue, was the most- recent murder victim. He was found shot to death at 1:55 a.m. Friday in the south parking lot of the Coconut Grove, 3229 South Ave.
The deaths represent the 12th, 15th and 17th homicides, respectively, in the city this year. There were 18 homicides in Youngstown at this time last year.
“We are looking at the possibility that one or more of these homicides are connected,” said police Capt. Mark Milstead.
Milstead would not go into details concerning the investigation into the murders. He did say, however, police have suspects in mind and have collected additional evidence to support the theory the murders are related.
“Noodles’ [Jerome Miller] name did surface as a person of interest in the investigation in the Joshua Davis and Tequon Sharpe murders,” Milstead said. “That is all we are prepared to say at this point. We were not to a point in the investigations of identifying him as a suspect, but he was mentioned as a person of interest.”
Another point to consider, Milstead said, is the presence of several of Sharpe’s family members at the murder scene of Miller. One family member, 33-year-old Tamara Sharpe, was shot in the arm and taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center at the time of Miller’s murder.
Milstead said investigators are continually gathering new information.
Detective Ron Rodway is handling the Davis investigation. Milstead said there is a considerable amount of new evidence being analyzed in that case, but he would not say what that evidence is.
The Sharpe murder investigation is being handled by Detective David Sweeney, and the Miller murder investigation is headed by Detective John Patton, who still is questioning those who were present at the scene of the shooting.
Sharpe family members at the bar at the time of Miller’s murder reportedly told police they stepped out of the bar for a cigarette and heard a series of gunshots.
Anyone with information concerning any of the three murders is asked to call Youngstown police at 330-742-8911 or anonymously at 330-746-CLUE.