Shooting at South Side store that hits boy irks Guardsman

YOUNGSTOWN

The owner of a South Avenue store and a 10-year-old boy were in the wrong place at the wrong time early Wednesday afternoon, when both were wounded as two men were shooting at each other.

Both victims were taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center after the shooting at the 3211 South Ave. store at about 1:25 p.m.

The shooters got away.

Detective Sgt. Darryl Martin said two males were arguing and one of them went into the store. The other male went in shortly afterwards and started shooting at the first male. He returned fire and that's when the boy and the store owner were hit.

Martin said said the boy is someone who always hangs out at the store and the owners allow him to stay there.

A woman who lives in a building next door who did not want to give her name saw a car driving away. When asked what the neighborhood is like, she laughed.

“This is not a surprise,” she said.

Tony Bailey, who also lives in the neighbohood, said a city police cruiser drove by at almost the same time traveling north on South Avenue and went a couple of blocks before turning around. Bailey said he saw two teens come out of the store and sort of half walk, half run, up a nearby street.

“They wasn’t in a hurry,” Bailey said.

Bailey said he is a combat engineer in the Ohio National Guard with 16 years experience and said it is upsetting about the violence in that part of town, especially at the store, where the owner had recently moved from another building and was trying to make a go of it.

Read the complete story in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.