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Man wounded in East Side shooting
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Police said a man shot Wednesday morning on the far East Side is in critical condition after surgery.
The man was shot about 10:30 a.m. at a home in the 1900 block of Josephine Avenue, then drove himself to the 1300 block of Atkinson Avenue to the home of a relative, said Capt. Brad Blackburn, chief of detectives.
From there, an ambulance was called.
Blackburn said the man was in a car and someone shot at him from inside the Josephine Avenue home.
The victim was wounded severely and had surgery at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, Blackburn said. He said it appeared that the victim knew the person who shot him, but officers were not able to get more information out of him because of his condition.
When police arrived at the Josephine Avenue address, they checked that house and a house on Melvina Avenue after callers said there were multiple gunshots coming from the area.
At first, police called the fire department to break down the door down but then backed off and waited for officers who had SWAT training and gear before entering the home.
They found a puppy inside that was taken by the Mahoning County Dog Warden’s Office and also some weapons, but Blackburn said those weapons did not appear to have been used in the shooting.
The person who lives at the home was not there, but Blackburn said police have an idea who the person is.
A police dog was brought in after some footprints were found outside, but a search turned up empty.
Blackburn said there was evidence in the house that the person doing the shooting was firing rounds from inside, but he did not say what the evidence was.
A Cadillac next to the house that was damaged by gunfire was towed for evidence. All four tires were punctured by gunfire.
This is the third violent crime in the area since Valentine’s Day, when the body of Savon Williams, 17, was found shot to death in a vacant lot on Wardle Avenue.
On Feb. 20, a man believed to be Zack Howell, 40, was found shot to death and burned inside an SUV behind a vacant house on Knapp Avenue just before Josephine Avenue.