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Gunfire rang out in several public places in the Mahoning Valley in 2022, and now the accused shooters are defendants in high-profile cases.
In October, a Trumbull County grand jury indicted Kevin Mallard, 55, on additional charges of attempted aggravated murder, attempted murder and inducing panic with firearm specifications, improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle, carrying concealed weapons and three counts of attempted murder with firearm specifications.
The new charges are based on the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation looking into the officer-involved shooting at 3 p.m. June 10 at the busy Liberty Township intersection of Liberty Street and Belmont Avenue, during which Liberty police exchanged gunfire with Mallard. He was accused of shooting Zach Woods, 20, whose vehicle was stopped at a red light in front of Mallard's car at the intersection.
Responding police attempted to stop the vehicle Mallard was driving about a block west on Liberty Street near the exit ramp from Interstate 80. He fired on officers, reports stated. Police returned fire, wounding Mallard.
He originally was indicted June 23 in the Woods shooting on charges of attempted aggravated murder with a firearm specification; attempted murder with a firearm specification; inducing panic with a firearm specification; improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle, and carrying concealed weapons.
The seven-page indictment states that Mallard shot Woods at arm's length using a Glock .40-caliber pistol as Woods sat behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz. Mallard walked back to his Humvee after the shooting and drove off. Police officers responding to the shooting, however, stopped the Humvee and a shootout began -- with dozens of shots fired.
Reports show police officers struck Mallard in the extremities several times. The Ohio BCI report of the shooting was completed in the fall and resulted in the additional charges against Mallard.
The shootings were captured by several witnesses on cellphone videos, reports stated.
Mallard's Humvee was stopped directly behind Woods' vehicle in the northbound lane at the traffic light, the indictment states. Mallard exited his vehicle and approached the open driver's side window of the Mercedes-Benz.
"Once the defendant (Mallard) was within arm's length from his victim, he pulled a Glock .40-caliber handgun, loaded with hollow-point bullets, from his waistband and placed it to the side of the victim's head," the document states.
The indictment states Mallard fired one shot, striking Woods in the left temple with the bullet traveling through both eye sockets and the nasal cavity.
"The defendant's actions left the victim in critical condition and precariously near death," the document states.
The shooting permanently maimed and disabled Woods, the indictment states, causing him to lose both eyes.
Court records show Mallard will be in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court Judge Ronald J. Rice's courtroom on Jan. 5 for a status conference on his attorney's bid for a not guilty by reason of insanity plea. In November, the judge approved Dr. Bob Stinson as an expert to examine Mallard for competency, that is in legal terms, whether he understands the wrongfulness of his actions.
AUSTINTOWN SHOOTING
About 40 days after the Liberty shooting, police and SWAT teams experienced a 19-hour standoff at an Austintown apartment complex that ended in gunfire on the afternoon of July 20, when officers stormed an apartment where a woman with a gun was holed up.
Two to three shots were fired around 4:15 p.m. after authorities removed a 9-year-old boy from an apartment. Paramedics entered 10 minutes later to remove the woman, identified by police as Imonie Hackett, 31, of 4851 Westchester Drive. She was carried out on a gurney to a waiting ambulance. Hackett later died of her injuries.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol, the FBI and Austintown police were on scene at the time of the shooting.
When police arrived the night of July 19, they found Hackett and her son sitting in the doorway of their apartment with the door open. According to a police report, the officers told her they were there to check on her. She retorted that they were not the real police, and that people from Chicago were watching her.
The officers asked the boy if he was OK and if his mom acted like this often. He answered yes to both questions, the report states. The report notes that Hackett, before shutting the door, said she was fine and did not need help.
But she then opened the door with a gun, and the officers drew their weapons and told her to drop the firearm. She retreated back into the apartment with her son, police said.
Police evacuated the first-floor residents through the window. Residents living on the first and second floors got out around 10 p.m. Two third-floor tenants said they did not leave the building until about 11:30 p.m. In total, 11 apartments were cleared.
Residents left without keys, phones or wallets, and several left without shoes.
Throughout the ordeal other departments assisted, including the Mahoning County Sheriff's Office, the regional SWAT team, and Youngstown, Warren, Howland and Canfield police.
The woman had been on Facebook Live several times throughout the standoff. She kept asking what was going on and why everyone was freaking out.
WARREN SHOOTING
The Hot Dog Shoppe near downtown Warren is a popular site for residents wanting a quick and cheap bite to eat. Around 6 p.m. on July 21, just one day after the Austintown shooting, gunfire rang out on the street as the nearby West Market Street restaurant was serving the usual suppertime crowd.
Jauton Lee Jr., 23, was fatally shot and 24-year-old Mitchell Powell was wounded as they were in a vehicle that was struck by bullets near the eatery.
Charged with the capital offense is Dominic Harvey, 20, of Hillsdale Drive NW.
Court records show a jury trial is set for Harvey on Aug. 21, 2023, before Trumbull County Common Pleas Judge Cynthia Westcott Rice. Harvey faces charges of aggravated murder with specifications of aggravating circumstances that reach death-penalty level and firearm specifications; attempted aggravated murder with firearms specifications; tampering with evidence; and receiving stolen property.