Trumbull County man sentenced in undercover police detective shooting case

Davonte R. McElroy, 21, of Warren, received an indefinite 14 to 19 ½-year prison term after pleading guilty in February to two counts of first-degree attempted murder felonies, both with three-year firearm specifications and a third-degree tampering with evidence felony.

The case involved an Oct. 2023 incident in the 200 block of Austin Avenue SW where two undercover Warren police detectives were shot at in their unmarked vehicle passing by McElroy’s residence. No one was hurt in the incident. A manhunt for McElroy ensued, with the defendant being arrested in July 2024 in southern Ohio.

As part of the sentence, Trumbull County Common Pleas Judge Sean J. O’Brien declared McElroy a violent offender and he will have to register as such.

The firearm from the incident was later found in a basement. Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Becker said McElroy’s DNA was linked to the weapon.

“This conviction and the sentence we are seeking should send a strong message that shooting at someone, even when no one is actually shot, will result in a lengthy prison sentence,” Becker said. “Fortunately, no one was injured or killed.”

Becker had submitted documents stating the state is requesting an indefinite prison term for McElroy from 14 to 19 ½ years, which begins with the mandatory three-year term because a firearm was used in the crime. McElroy was credited for already serving 342 days in jail.