YOUNGSTOWN — Capt. Jason Simon, head of the detective division of the Youngstown Police Department, said Tuesday that detectives are treating two investigations involving gunfire at a local nightclub and a gunshot victim as if they are connected.

About 3:39 a.m. Saturday, a person arrived at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital with gunshot wounds, possibly as a result of gunfire at Vibez Bar, 914 E. Midlothian Blvd, that took place a short time earlier.

A Youngstown police report does not provide any information on the victim, but stated that two officers were at the hospital when the victim arrived at the entrance. The victim arrived in a personal vehicle, another police report states. The report did not provide any information on how seriously wounded the person was or any information as to whether the victim talked about how he or she got shot.

Nine minutes before the person arrived at the hospital, gunfire was reported at the Vibez Bar, according to a separate police report.

Officers were called to the club for a fight with gunfire. Several callers said they heard shots fired outside the bar. Officers then found several spent bullet shell casings in the parking lot on the south side of the building.

A security guard said he heard shots and sought cover behind a vehicle and was unable to provide any descriptions of any suspects or vehicles, the report states.

The club manager said he was unaware of any fights inside or outside of the club and could not provide “any insight as to possible suspects,” the report adds.

Photos were taken of the shell casings before they were collected. A black GMC Denali was struck by gunfire in the passenger side front wheel, which also caused a puncture to the front passenger tire.

MONDAY

Meanwhile, at 9:16 p.m. Monday, Youngstown police received a ShotSpotter notification of gunfire in the 1300 block of East Florida Avenue.

When officers arrived, they spoke with several people, including the resident of the home where the gunfire was reported to have occurred. The resident said he or she heard gunfire and fireworks in the area, but “because of the (Memorial Day) holiday, she didn’t think the gunfire was out of the ordinary.”

The ShotSpotter indicated eight shots in the back yard. That is where officers found eight bullet shell casings, according to the police report. The casings were taken into evidence.

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