Saturday, November 23, 2013
By jeanne starmack
Liberty
Police are investigating strange circumstances surrounding a shooting on Belmont Avenue.
The shooting occurred early Monday, but police still have no weapon or suspects, said Liberty Detective Capt. Toby Meloro.
A minivan driver who was delivering newspapers called police about 4:20 a.m. to report he was being followed by someone in an SUV.
When police caught up with both cars in front of the Liberty Plaza and stopped them, the minivan driver, a 64-year-old Youngstown man, said someone had shot at him.
The shooting occurred after an earlier complaint of theft at Verizon Wireless at 3100 Belmont, and Adham Aburahma, 18, an owner of the store, was the driver of the SUV.
Aburahma reported he was following the minivan because he thought the driver might have had something to do with the theft, Meloro said.
The theft happened shortly before 2 a.m., according to a police report. Officers responded to an alarm drop and found the store’s door open with no sign of forced entry.
They called Aburahma, who said he knew of no one else who had a key to the store. Missing were 14 Apple iPhones and three Apple iPads.
When police stopped the two vehicles in front of the plaza, the minivan driver said he was delivering papers on Darlington Avenue and as he was turning north on Belmont, he heard several shots.
He said he feared for his and a passenger’s safety, and he turned into the Colonial Plaza and drove on several nearby streets before heading back to Belmont, once again turning north. He said the SUV kept following and he could hear someone screaming at him.
Police asked Aburahma if he had a gun, and he said no. While police were patting him down, he pulled away and said, “Now I’m about to go off,” according to a police report.
An officer took him to the ground and handcuffed him. He was taken to the police station, charged with obstructing official business and released on a $7,500 recognizance bond. He is to appear in Girard Municipal Court at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Police found a bullet hole in the driver’s side of the minivan and in the driver’s seat, but they did not find a bullet.
Police never found a gun on Aburahma, in the SUV or in the area, Meloro said.
An officer found a spent shell casing 20 yards from the Verizon store, a police report said.
Meloro said there did not appear to be any other cars in the area. “The [minivan driver] said he only saw the one vehicle,” Meloro said, “Very strange.”