Police: Man dead, 3-year-old girl and her mother injured in Youngstown shooting

Youngstown police, who said they responded to a “chaotic” shooting scene on the city’s South Side, found a 24-year-old man dead and both a 23-year-old woman and her 3-year-old daughter injured.

Police and the city’s Neighborhood Response Unit were dispatched just before 5:30 p.m. Tuesday to the 3800 block of Mohawk Avenue, where they found a gray Chevrolet Camaro whose driver, 24-year-old Rawsheem Aponte, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a news release from the Youngstown Police Department.

A 23-year-old woman also in the vehicle was shot in the leg and received “life-saving measures,” police reported. Her 3-year-old daughter was grazed in the leg by a bullet, according to the release. Their names were not released.

No arrests have been made. Police are now looking for two Black men believed to be the suspects, one of whom is described in the release as “thin.”

The suspects are believed to have fired more than 50 shots from multiple rifles with different calibers, Youngstown police Lt. Mohammad Awad told WKBN.

“The initial investigation has revealed that this was likely a targeted incident in which the suspects chased down the victims in their vehicle and fired on them in the Mount Vernon/Mohawk area of the South Side,” reads the release.

Detectives collected several shell casings at the scene and interviewed “numerous witnesses,” according to the release.

Police said they would not release any more details Tuesday evening, but that more information might be available Wednesday morning.

The homicide is being investigated by city police and the Mahoning County Coroner’s Office.

Tips leading to an arrest or prosecution are eligible for a monetary reward. Call Crime Stoppers at 330-746-CLUE (746-2583) or 330-746-8YPD (746-8973) to provide information or tips. Tips may be left anonymously.

This story was originally published April 26, 2022 at 10:15 PM.