Police refocus probe of teen’s death

Photo

Crues Jr.

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Police have not made an arrest in the city’s most recent homicide, but they confirm the 17-year-old boy likely was killed as retaliation for a slaying early last month.

Carlos Crues Jr. was leaving an East Side party on Kendis Circle just before 2 a.m. Jan. 28, walking with at least two females, when shots were fired and Crues was killed. He was dead by the time officers arrived.

Police have been looking for everyone who attended the late-night party for questioning.

Capt. Mark Milstead said detectives believe the shooting may have been the result of a belief that Crues played a role in the shooting of 18-year-old Tre’Von Kimbrough in early January.

Milstead emphasized that Crues was not a suspect but a person of interest in the Kimbrough investigation.

Kimbrough, 18, of Rush Boulevard, was found dead at 10:45 a.m. Jan. 7, shot multiple times. He was found in the rear parking area of a vacant business at 3707 Market St. on the South Side.

There has been no arrest in the Kimbrough homicide. Milstead added that police cannot definitively say what the motive for Kimbrough’s slaying was.

“There were past in-stances of him [Kimbrough] being in fights and stuff, but we cannot conclusively say that his murder was linked to any particular incident,” said Milstead.

Sparkle Johnson, Crues’ mother, said Monday that any rumors of her son’s involvement in Kimbrough’s slaying are just that — rumors.

She said she has been told that these rumors are not confirmed, and repeated her belief that her son had nothing to do with anyone’s homicide.

Milstead said police have an unnamed suspect and several people of interest they want to speak with in relation to the shooting. He said police believe there may have been more than one shooter.

Milstead said one of the frustrations in making any arrest in the Crues case is getting more witnesses who may have valuable information to come forward.

“We know there were a number of witnesses to this, but people coming forward has been terrible. We are trying to deal with issues of intimidation as well but still having trouble getting anyone to come forward,” he said.

Milstead said the trouble in getting witnesses to talk is rooted in a mindset by some that police are not friends to the community.

“It’s just the culture,” he said. “They just don’t view the police as an ally in their world. A lot of times they just want to take matters into their own hands.”

Still, Milstead said police are asking that anyone with information regarding either homicide to contact police at 330-746-CLUE (2583) or the detective division at 330-742-8911.