UPDATE | Authorities now link Mineral Ridge, Howland shootings

MINERAL RIDGE — Authorities are now saying the shooting deaths of men in Mineral Ridge and Howland Tuesday night are related.

Weathersfield Township Chief Mike Naples just released a statement to media which said "At this time the suspect of the homicide in Weathersfield Township is believed to be the individual involved in the incident in Howland Township."

His department, the Trumbull County Homicide Task Force and Ohio BCI are investigating the Mineral Ridge incident which began Tuesday night with the shooting death of a man at a home across from St. Mary Catholic Church on South Main Street.

Officers were called to the home at 7 p.m. and found the man deceased of at least one gunshot wound. The suspect in the shooting was gone. Officers did not know whether the suspect left on foot or in a car, so the nearby Mineral Ridge High school was placed on lockdown for about an hour while a basketball game was played as a precaution.

Later Tuesday night, two Howland Police officers shot a man outside the Howland Giant Eagle.

Questions being asked of the Howland Police Department were referred to Township Administrator Darlene St. George, who said the officers are on leave "to deal with the trauma" of the incident. Gunshots hit cars in the parking lot but did not injure anyone else.

"We're thankful the officers are safe and any public that were in the immediate area are also safe," St. George said.

Those with information on the first incident are being asked to call 330-652-6486 or 330-675-2730.

Those with information on the Howland incident are asked to call 330-884-7500.