YPD: Third-reported Torch Club shooting victim died in auto accident

YOUNGSTOWN — New details from police in last weekend's fatal mass shooting outside of a city club suggest one of the three reported dead was killed in a car crash in that area at about the same time.

City police on Tuesday also identified those killed by gunfire early Sunday morning outside the Torch Club Bar and Grille along Salt Springs Road: 23-year-old Rayshaun L. Clay and 19-year-old Mikquan C. Stevens. Both were pronounced dead at a hospital.

A third person, 27-year-old Charles Boerio, was found in a wrecked vehicle at the scene of a two-car crash at the intersection of Salt Springs Road and Greenwood Avenue, just three blocks south of the club.

Though it was initially reported Sunday that Boerio died of apparent gunshot wounds, the Mahoning County Coroner's Office later concluded Boerio was killed in the crash, according to a Tuesday afternoon release from the police department.

"Detectives are still investigating the incident to determine if the autos involved in the crash were leaving the scene of the shooting," reads the release.

Three other men were wounded by gunfire outside the club, according to police. One of the men has been released from the hospital. The other two are still being treated.

City police Chief Carl Davis on Sunday said gunfire was reported at the bar just after 2 a.m. Sunday, according to the Associated Press. Police rendered first aid to victims while investigating two separate shooting scenes.

None of the shootings occurred in the bar "but they stemmed from an incident which began there," he said.

At least two nearby homes were struck by bullets during an "exchange of gunfire" that night, according to WKBN.

Mayor Jamael Tito Brown said that, as a father of four, unnecessary violence involving young people "just continues to pull at my heart."

"It is not easy for me to get the call in the middle of the night from the chief or one of his team to tell me about incidents like this, and it pains me," he said.

Police have yet to make any arrests or file charges.

Anyone with information about the shooting is being urged to leave an anonymous tip at 330-746-CLUE (746-2583) or 330-742-8YPD (742-8973). Those with information that leads to an arrest and conviction will be eligible for a cash reward.

This story was originally published May 25, 2021 at 5:14 PM with the headline "YPD: Third-reported Torch Club shooting victim died in auto accident."