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Police: North Side murder arose from domestic dispute
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Police say a homicide early Monday arose from a domestic dispute.
Jermaine Tubbs, 26, turned himself in to authorities about 9 a.m. Monday after a warrant was issued for his arrest in the murder of Michael Brooks, 52.
Brooks was shot to death about 12:30 a.m. Monday outside an apartment in the 200 block of Dupont Street on the North Side.
Tubbs is in the Mahoning County jail.
Detective Sgt. Ronald Rodway, lead investigator, said Brooks is the stepfather of a woman who was arguing with Tubbs late Sunday and early Monday in her apartment on Dupont Street.
Rodway said the woman called Brooks to come to her apartment for help, and Brooks came with his wife and several other people, including two children age 7 and 8.
When Brooks arrived, he honked the horn on his vehicle, which was a prearranged signal for the woman to come out of the apartment, Rodway said.
Rodway said Tubbs came out of the apartment and he tangled with Brooks. The pair pushed and shoved each other until witnesses said Tubbs reached for a handgun he had in his waistband and shot Tubbs twice in the head, Rodway said.
Tubbs ran away into the nearby woods before officers could arrive, and they searched the woods but could not find him, Rodway said.
Rodway said police were able to focus on Tubbs as a suspect right away because there were so many eyewitnesses.
The murder of Brooks is Youngstown’s seventh homicide of 2017. In 2016, the city had 18 homicides and did not record its seventh homicide until May 3.