×

Dispute over marijuana sale sparks gunfire

Shooting in Austintown injures man

AUSTINTOWN — Police say a debt over a bag of marijuana led to a shooting at a local apartment complex on Wednesday.

Isabella Repucci, 20, of Youngstown, is in the Mahoning County Jail awaiting an initial appearance in Mahoning County Austintown Court, scheduled for Monday. Court records show Repucci is charged with felonious assault, tampering with evidence, receiving stolen property, improper handling of a firearm and carrying a concealed weapon, all felony charges.

The Austintown police report states that police responded to Compass West Apartments on Burkey Road shortly after 8 p.m. Wednesday for a report of gunshots with a male victim down.

The report states that the male was shot in the upper leg and transported by ambulance to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital.The report does not state what condition he is in.

A witness at the scene told police the suspect vehicle had just left the complex and turned onto South Edgehill Avenue, and told them it was Repucci.

The report states that police were familiar with Repucci from previous encounters, although court records do not show any charges prior to Wednesday’s alleged offenses. However, Repucci had called police about 30 minutes prior to the shooting call to report that a woman had jumped onto the hood of her car, punched her windshield and spit on her driver’s side window, while a male threatened her with a gun and several people tried to block her from leaving the parking lot.

The report states that police located Repucci on South Edgehill Avenue and she told them then that there was a dispute about $40 she owed a man for marijuana. She told them she did not want to press charges but wanted the incident documented.

When police responded half an hour later, witnesses — at least two of whom the report indicates were involved with the marijuana deal — told them that Repucci came back after she spoke to police.

One of them, Shauna Sallaz — the woman Repucci accused of jumping on her car earlier — told police she was sitting outside with another family when Repucci returned. She said she saw Repucci walking in front of another apartment building, carrying a gun. She shouted “Gun!” and the other family immediately brought their children inside.

She told police she took out her phone to take photos as soon as she heard the victim ask Repucci if she was going to shoot him, and then quickly heard two gunshots and the man say he’d been shot as he fell.

Another man, Justin Pesa, was one of those who had earlier confronted Repucci about the money along with the victim. He told police he had gone inside after she left the first time and only came back out moments before the shots were fired because he heard commotion from the parking lot. He told police he saw Repucci run from the victim, get into her car and leave the complex.

The report states that after officers cleared the scene in Austintown and returned to the station, they received a call from Warren police, stating that they had Repucci in custody. When Austintown responded to the location on Elm Road, Warren officers said Repucci had flagged them down and said she was turning herself in for the shooting. Warren was aware of the BOLO alert for the shooting and arrested her.

The report states Repucci said she shot the man in self-defense, and that while she had thrown the gun away, she would lead police to its location. She directed police to a bike path near Charles and High Streets in Warren, where they found a black satchel with a .40 caliber handgun inside, which had been reported stolen.

Starting at $3.23/week.

Subscribe Today