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Father finds explosive device in yard
YOUNGSTOWN
The father of a teen murdered on the city’s East Side in 2011 found an explosive device and small holes from explosions in his front yard.
Carl Fleeton, 39, of Norwood Avenue, told police he found the explosive devices in his front yard over the weekend after he had argued with another man. He said the man sent him text messages Friday, threatening to shoot his fish tank.
According to reports, Fleeton came home Sunday evening and found a silver carbon dioxide (CO2) cartridge with a fuse in it sitting in his front yard. He placed the device in a bag and called police.
Fleeton told police he did hear several explosions Friday and assumed it to be gunfire. Police were sent to the area late Friday night to investigate gunfire in the area.
Fleeton showed police two fresh holes in his yard that appear to be from small explosions. Officers also found an exploded CO2 cartridge in the yard.
A CO2 cartridge can be constructed into an explosive device by adding a certain amount of gunpowder and a fuse. If constructed properly, the device can create an explosion equivalent to that of an M-80 firework or larger.
Fleeton’s son was murdered in the city in 2011.
De’Vail Fleeton, 16, of Norwood Avenue, was found by police lying face-down in an alley beside 1437 Stewart Ave. The victim, the father of a 4-month-old daughter, had been shot once in the upper back.
Witnesses say five black males wearing black, hooded sweatshirts and red ball caps chased the victim from the Plaza View Apartments across Stewart and McGuffey Road, firing at him as he ran. After the victim fell, the males ran back into Plaza View.