Staff photo / Ed Runyan Devyonna L. Taylor, 22, appears by video from the Mahoning County jail in Youngstown Municipal Court on Monday. She is charged with murder in the early Saturday shooting death of her live-in girlfriend.

YOUNGSTOWN — Devyonna L. Taylor, 22, was arraigned Monday in Youngstown Municipal Court on a murder charge after being accused of shooting her 22-year-old live-in girlfriend in the chest and killing her early Saturday.

Youngstown Municipal Court Magistrate Meghan Brundege set Taylor’s bond at $1 million. No plea was required during the hearing. Taylor could be seen on video, listening to and watching the proceedings from the Mahoning County jail.

Youngstown Assistant Prosecutor Shaina Rochford requested the $1 million bond, saying the reason is “due to the serious nature of the offense, as well as the allegations. The allegations are that the defendant did shoot and kill the victim. We are asking for this bond, as we believe that the defendant is a danger to the community.”

A Youngstown police report released Monday states that officers responded to an apartment in the 2600 block of Tyrell Avenue on the West Side for a woman who had been shot in the chest.

When they arrived for the 1:35 a.m. call, they found the victim “shot in the chest unconscious, being held by another female,” the report states. The second female was Taylor.

“When asked if the shooter was still in the apartment, (Taylor) replied no,” the report states.

One officer started chest compressions on the unidentified victim while another officer started a “chest seal” on the victim, the report adds.

“Chest seals are a type of bandage used for deep puncture wounds to the chest, neck and abdomen,” according to the Verywellhealth website. “They play a critical role in triage first aid for these types of injuries.”

“Chest seals are used commonly by first responders, including emergency medical technicians and military field medics, but can be used by anyone” and are included in many first-aid kits, it states.

Capt. Jason Simon of the Youngstown Police Detective Division said the reason Taylor was charged was “after reviewing the available evidence and speaking with (Taylor), we determined that the charge of murder was appropriate.”

According to Youngstown Municipal Court records, the murder charge filed against Taylor carries a prison sentence of 15 years to life in prison if convicted.

She is scheduled for a 9 a.m. preliminary hearing in Youngstown Municipal on Monday. The apartment complex on Tyrell is called Valley View Estates, located off Salt Springs Road near the intersection of the 711 Connector and Interstate 680.

Saturday’s homicide is the ninth one of the year in the city. The homicide occurred just days after the YPD released data on the low number of homicides so far this year, which was reported in the weekend Vindicator. Last year at this time, there were 17 homicides, the data showed.

PREVIOUS HOMICIDE

The previous homicide in Youngstown before Saturday was the June 18 shooting death of Dailyn Ford, 18, in the 900 block of Lanterman Avenue, three-tenths of a mile from Lanterman’s Mill on Youngstown’s South Side.

A Youngstown police news release from that case stated that officers were called to the 900 block of Lanterman Avenue at 12:05 a.m. for reports of gunfire and a victim shot. A Youngstown police report stated that is where they saw the young man lying in the roadway of Lanterman Avenue suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.

Officers and ambulance personnel attempted life-saving measures, but he died from his injuries soon afterward at the hospital, the release states. During the investigation, officers learned that several houses also had been struck by gunfire.