Man arraigned on weapons charge in shooting case

March 11, 2017 at 12:00a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

New details emerged Friday during the arraignment of a man who owns a home on the far East Side, where a shooting happened earlier this week.

Anton Carter, 40, is in the Mahoning County jail on a felony charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He appeared before Magistrate Anthony Sertick in municipal court and bail was set at $20,000.

Carter surrendered to police Friday morning and was booked into the jail after he was questioned by detectives. He is the owner of a Josephine Avenue home where a man was wounded Wednesday after he was shot by someone from inside the home.

The victim drove himself to a home on Atkinson Avenue where he was then taken by ambulance to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, where he remained in critical condition Friday, police said.

When police arrived they found bullet holes at the Josephine Avenue home and had officers who had SWAT experience come and force their way inside because they thought a gunman may be there. No one was inside but police did find several weapons, which is why Carter was charged with the weapons offense. He has not been charged with the shooting. Police are still investigating.

At his arraignment Friday, assistant city Prosecutor Jeffrey Moliterno said the victim was actually shooting at the house and he was wounded by someone who was in the house and returning fire. Moliterno asked for $35,000 bond.

Carter’s lawyer, Chris Maruca, asked for no bond for his client. He said his client had a criminal conviction in 1999 but has had none since then and that Carter was not in the home when the shooting happened. Maruca said that as soon as Carter found out the police were looking for him, Carter called Maruca and made arrangements to speak with police.

Maruca also said his client was prepared to take a DNA test to prove that the weapons found in the house never belonged to him. Carter rents the house to someone else, Maruca said.

“If they thought he had been involved in the shooting, he would have been charged [with the shooting],” Maruca said.

Moliterno said that witnesses saw Carter arguing with the victim before the shooting happened.

Sertick said because the charge is a felony, he thought a bond should be set.