Youngstown cops hope quick arrest in Ayers Street murder will stop retaliation

YOUNGSTOWN

Although police arrested a suspect Wednesday in an East Side homicide about 10 hours after the crime happened, the case is still not closed.

Capt. Brad Blackburn, chief of detectives, said there is still more work to do regarding the slaying of Jason Fonseca, 20, who was shot to death at about 3 p.m. Wednesday in the middle of the street in front of a 176 Ayers St. home.

Arrested at about 11:40 p.m. in a home in the 900 block of Cameron Avenue on a charge of aggravated murder for Fonseca’s death was Kimani Hodges, 20, of East Auburndale Avenue. He is in the Mahoning County jail and expected to be arraigned today via video hookup in municipal court.

The two investigators working the case, detective sergeants Rick Spotleson and Darryl Martin, had several more witnesses come in for interviews today at the detective bureau, including members of Fonseca’s family.

After they got the call to go to the crime scene, both investigators worked long into the night to get the arrest warrant for Hodges and interview him after he was arrested, then were back early Thursday to do more interviews.

Investigators said the shooting came from a dispute over a woman with whom both men were involved.

It is hoped making an arrest quickly will clamp down on any retaliation, Blackburn said, a problem that plagued the city for years after homicides.

“Obviously there’s a lot of emotion and, hopefully, a quick arrest will stop any spinoff violence,” Blackburn said.

One of the reasons for such a quick arrest was the fact that Fonseca was gunned down in broad daylight in the middle of the street in front of plenty of witnesses, who were cooperative, Blackburn said.

Read more about the case in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.