YOUNGSTOWN — The man killed in an officer-involved shooting on Helena Avenue on Thursday morning has been identified as 45-year-old Ricco Acevedo, according to a news release from the Mahoning County Coroner’s Office.

Police shot and killed Acevedo when they found him inside a house at 4312 Helena Ave., where he did not live. Acevedo’s last known address, according to Mahoning County Court records, was 52 Shields Road in Boardman.

A web and social media search showed that Acevedo attended Boardman High School and was a heavyweight boxer and mixed martial arts fighter. He had one professional bout to his credit. He fought and defeated Pennsylvania boxer Joe Vucick on Aug. 12, 2005, in the outdoor arena at the now-closed Bull and Bear Tavern in Boardman.

However, Avecedo does have a long criminal history. Acevedo beat his ex-girlfriend, who was the mother of his child, at her Girard home on June 4, 2015.

Carly Diamond told the Tribune Chronicle in 2016 that after Acevedo hit her six or seven times, her eye socket “fell apart” and she could not properly open her mouth for two months. She ended up having reconstructive facial surgery. She said her face was still numb at the time and she may have suffered permanent nerve damage. In previous incidents, Diamond said, Acevedo body slammed her, strangled her, picked her up by the throat and even bit her on the face.

After the June 4 attack, Girard police charged Acevedo with domestic violence, felonious assault, aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery and violating a protective order. U.S. Marshals helped track and arrest him. He pleaded guilty to an amended indictment in March 2016.

Despite facing as much as 40 years in prison on the original counts, Acevedo was sentenced to just six years in prison after agreeing to a plea deal. Acevedo began serving his sentence on April 15, 2016. He was released from Mansfield Correctional Institution on Oct. 22, 2021, and was still under state supervision at the time of his death.

The home where Acevedo was shot belongs to Ernesto Cuevas, who is currently in the Mahoning County jail after he was arrested for domestic violence at his mother’s home in September. At the time of his arrest, Cuevas also made graphically violent threats against Boardman police officers.

It is unknown if there is any direct link between Cuevas and Acevedo.

A neighbor told The Vindicator that Cuevas was known to keep several cars that he estimated at as much as half a million dollars on the property, and other valuable items in the house. The neighbor said he believed the burglar likely knew Cuevas was in jail.

According to Youngstown police reports, Cuevas’ mother called police regarding the theft of cash and a bicycle from Cuevas’ home.

Court records show Acevedo has been charged with at least two counts of petty theft this year, both on April 19. He also was charged with criminal endangering on July 8, 2022.

He was booked into the Mahoning County jail Sept. 19 on a probation violation stemming from the criminal endangering charge. He spent eight days in jail and was turned over to the Ohio Adult Parole Authority on Oct. 5 for the parole violation.

The press release from the coroner’s office states an autopsy was performed by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner.

The shooting remains under investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Youngstown Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division.

The officers involved have not been identified, but the department said both have been placed on paid administrative leave, per department policy. Ohio BCI has not yet responded to a Friday request for a status update on the investigation.