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Autopsies performed on two young men killed in mass shooting; Go-Fund-Me site established
Family member establishes GoFundMe account seeking financial assistance
By Ed Runyan
youngstown
The Mahoning County Coroner’s office says Joshua Williams, 20, of Warren, one of the two young men shot to death Saturday in a mass shooting in Howland, died of five gunshot wounds of the chest and abdomen.
The other man who died, Josh Haber, 19, of Warren, died of a single gunshot wound to the abdomen and chest, the Trumbull County coroner’s office reported.
Both deaths are ruled homicides.
Dr. Joseph Ohr, forensic pathologist for Mahoning County, said Williams suffered “devastating” wounds and “died within seconds” of being shot.
Williams, of Woodbine Avenue Southeast, was taken to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His autopsy was performed Monday.
Williams was one of five people who traveled in a minivan to the home and business of Nasser Hamad, 47, on state Route 46 Saturday afternoon.
An affidavit filed with Trumbull County Common Pleas Court Monday says all five occupants of the van got out, and John Shively, 17, engaged in a fist fight with Hamad in Hamad’s front yard.
The affidavit doesn’t say what the other four people did, but it says after the fight ended, Hamad went inside his house, retrieved a handgun and opened fire on the five, who had returned to the van.
Williams’ mother, Kristen Hendrickson Williams, wrote on her Facebook page Monday that her son “took a ride in a vehicle thinking he was going to visit distant relatives here from Florida, not knowing he was walking into a feud that didn’t involve him.”
It added: “My son was a good kid who wouldn’t fight with anyone, let alone fight a battle for someone else. My son was gunned down in a vehicle like a thug. Joshua had a heart of gold and was raised with morals and a stable family foundation.
“He didn’t deserve this. Please pray for my husband and myself who will never be the same again. My empty body will never be the same.”
Haber died at the scene, the affidavit says. His mother, April Trent-Vokes, suffered gunshot wounds to her head, arms, chest and legs while sitting in the driver’s seat of her van, which had Florida license plates.
Haber apparently moved to the Warren area from Florida with his mother some time in 2016.
A GoFundMe page created by Josh Haber’s sister, Steffany Haber of West Palm Beach, Fla., asks for financial help with funeral expenses for Josh and medical expenses for her mother.
“There was a mass shooting in Ohio, where my mother and little brothers moved for a better life,” Steffany Haber said on the GoFundMe page.
“In a senseless act of violence, I lost my little brother Joshua. My mother is in the hospital facing a long road of recovery. I have no clue what exactly the hospital bills will come to, or the cost to give my brother a proper rest.
“Any donation is greatly appreciated and will be used to bring my family back together in this terrible nightmare.”
The site is at www.gofundme.com/4j2rqp-funeral-and-hospital-expenses.
A MercyHealth spokesperson on Tuesday referred questions about any of the victims who came to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital to the Howland Police Department. A call to the detective working on the case was not returned. A call to the spokesperson for Valley Care Trumbull Memorial Hospital also was not returned.
In addition to Trent-Vokes, the other survivors are Bryce Hendrickson, 22, of Dawson Drive in Howland, and Shively, who was described as “grazed” in the back.
Hamad appeared in court Monday on two counts of aggravated murder and three counts of attempted murder. He pleaded not guilty and is being held in the Trumbull County jail in lieu of $5 million bond.