As police arrest murder suspect, Struthers Manor residents express fear
STRUTHERS
The same day that authorities arrest a suspect in the murder of a 56-year-old man in his apartment, a resident of Struthers Manor says security at the Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Authority-owned complex leaves a lot to be desired.
“I’m scared here because I don’t know who is walking the halls anymore,” said a woman in her late 70s who spoke Wednesday on the condition of anonymity. She has lived at the low-income, independent housing development for senior citizens on Poland Avenue for more than a decade, but said she began to feel afraid only within the past couple of years.
It’s not just her either. She’s spoken with many of the complex’s other residents — there are 70 one-bedroom apartments — who also are concerned about their safety. Many can’t defend themselves, she said.
Doors are left propped open for those who don’t belong there to come and go, for example, and at least one resident has her adult son staying there, which is prohibited. The woman said she also was worried about drug activity, though Struthers Police Chief Tim Roddy noted that officers are “very, very rarely” there. If they are, it’s to address complaints, like loud music and dog attacks, that are “nothing along those lines” and often unfounded.
In fact, shortly before Mark Westfall was found dead in his third-floor apartment, stabbed multiple times in the back, abdomen, neck and arms, residents and YMHA officials had gathered for a planned meeting to discuss those concerns.
Read more about the murder in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.