YPD answers homicide, shooting calls early Sunday
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Early Sunday, police had to deal with a homicide on the South Side and a shooting on the West Side at a bar that was also the scene of a shooting last week.
About 2:30 a.m., Keith Wade, 30, was found shot to death in a car in the 600 block of West Warren Avenue. Chief Robin Lees said there were reports of gunfire in the area Saturday evening, and a man called 911 after he noticed that the car had been on the street with someone in the front seat for a long time.
Wade had been sentenced to seven years in prison for a 2009 home invasion in which a man was wounded in the back but survived. He also was arrested on felony drug charges in January 2018 by city police.
About a half-hour after Wade was found, officers answered a call for gunfire at the Fyrst Lounge, 207 Steel St. Witnesses told police two bouncers told Malcolm Hailstock, 26, of Farrell, Pa., to leave after he got in an argument with a woman. Hailstock and a man he was with fought with patrons before going outside.
Reports said the men went to a car, and Hailstock grabbed a gun and fired several shots as the bouncers were outside before driving away. Hailstock was found in the car behind a nearby business, reports said. Police found a semiautomatic pistol in the car Hailstock was driving. No one was injured.
Last week, a car in the parking lot of the same bar was damaged by gunfire. Police said the man shot and killed about 9:30 p.m. Thursday at Wirt Street and Crandall Avenue was involved in a 2011 attempted robbery at a Belmont Avenue restaurant where a man was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer working security.
James Thomas, 58, was sentenced to six years in prison for his role in the robbery at Galaxy Seafood, which led to the death of Warren V. Wright, 32, who was shot and killed by the off-duty officer.
Thomas died Thursday after being shot while walking south on Wirt Street.
So far in 2019, Youngstown has 10 homicides. At this time in 2018, when there were 26 homicides total, the city had five homicides. In 2019, police have made arrests in four of the 10 homicides and have a strong suspect in another.
Lees said there are extra officers on the road in high crime areas looking for guns, and while they have been making some arrests, they are still not able to completely cut off the flow of violence.
One of those gun arrests was early Saturday, where reports said police found a stolen 9 mm handgun in the car of a man who led police on brief foot and vehicle chases.
Lamar Armstrong, 32, of Dupont Street, was arraigned in municipal court on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle and receiving stolen property after he was arrested about 3:25 a.m. Saturday in the drive of a home in the 500 block of Cameron Avenue. Judge Carla Baldwin set his bond at $10,000.
Police earlier tried to pull him over for running a stop sign, but he drove away, abandoned his car and was caught in the driveway after a chase.
Inside the car, officers found the gun in the center console.
Reports said it was reported stolen in 2017 in Youngstown.