Man indicted in South Side homicide

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The suspect in the killing of a man outside a South Side bar was indicted on an aggravated-murder charge Thursday by a Mahoning County grand jury.

Earl Price, 42, is charged in the Feb. 7 death of 33-year-old DeJuan Thomas outside the Partners Jazz and Blues Lounge on Oakhill Avenue. He faces charges of aggravated murder with a violent- offender specification and being a felon in possession of a firearm with firearm specifications.

Police said Thomas was shot outside the bar after an argument inside about 1 a.m., and taken by a friend to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, where he died.

Detectives got an arrest warrant for Price, who has an address on North Blaine Avenue, a few days later, but they have not been able to find him.

On Dec. 30, 2009, Price was indicted on charges of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault and illegal possession of a weapon. The charges stem from an incident in which Price is believed to have shot an East Side man and attempted to shoot another man on Nov. 6, 2009.

According to police, the two victims were at a detailing shop on McGuffey Road when Price, known to them as “Pistol Pete,” drove up in a truck, got out of the vehicle and pointed a gun at them.

Police reports say one of the men ran through a wooded area upon seeing the gun, but the other man was shot in the back, buttocks and stomach.

The wounded man and his uninjured friend tried to drive to the hospital, but the car broke down along the way. A nearby business owner took the men to St. Elizabeth Health Center, where the wounded man received treatment.

In that case, prosecutors dismissed the charge in 2012 because the victim failed to show up to testify.