Police arrest 1, seek 2 others in shooting

Staff report

Youngstown

Police arrested one man after a shootout involving gunfire coming from two vehicles over the weekend on the city’s East Side.

Police charged Jose M. Rodriguez, 28, of Youngs-town, with illegally carrying a weapon, improperly handling firearms and illegally discharging a firearm.

Police responded to a call at Himrod and Truesdale avenues shortly before 8:30 p.m. Sunday after witnesses said they saw a black SUV and a gold Chevrolet truck exchanging gunfire while riding alongside each other.

According to reports, police arrived on the scene before Rodriguez called and asked to speak to officers at his auto shop on Wilson Avenue. He told police he was leaving his cousin’s house on Rigby Street, when two people in a black SUV started shooting at him.

Rodriguez said he then retrieved a gun from his auto shop on Wilson Avenue and started searching for them in his own vehicle. Police said Rodriguez caught up with the two men before they started exchanging gunfire, while driving next to each other near Oak Street.

At the scene, police noticed several bullet holes in Rodriguez’s truck. They recovered six shell casings along the road and several more inside the truck.

After Rodriguez said he had no other weapons besides the one he used in the incident, police searched his shop and recovered another handgun, a semiautomatic rifle and 120 rounds of ammunition.

Police said Rodriguez did not have a concealed-carry weapons license.

Police still are searching for two other suspects.