Police: Driver reportedly fired shots at a father and son before Youngstown chase
New details might show what started a vehicle chase that later caused a crash and left one man dead in Youngstown Tuesday evening.
A police report says that officers were notified of gunfire in the area of South Avenue Gas Mart in Youngstown and observed a black BMW SUV speeding off from the station's parking lot. The officers who saw the vehicle take off reportedly followed after it, resulting in the chase that left the speeding driver dead and a passenger injured.
Officers at the crash site were asked to inspect the possible gunfire at South Avenue Gas Mart, according to a police report. Those officers said they observed gun shell casings in front of the gas station's entrance.
A witness told police that prior to the chase, he and his son were filling air in the tires of a Jeep around 6 p.m. Tuesday at South Avenue Gas Mart. Reports said the witness and his son were approached by a man driving a black BMW SUV when the driver asked if the witness remembered him. The witness told police he told the man he vaguely remembered him "from a fight over 20 years ago." The witness said the man then pulled out a gun and began shooting at him and his son, striking their Jeep. The car then took off. That's when the police chase reportedly began.
South Avenue Gas Mart employees told police that at least one employee's vehicle was struck by the gunfire.
Nobody was physically injured by the gas station shooting.
Police say they believe a gun found in the car involved in that fatal crash is the same gun used in the shooting incident moments before.
A 33-year-old man was killed and a 30-year-old woman was injured when the car flipped over along Gibson Avenue Tuesday evening.
Police say the woman is hospitalized but is expected to survive.
The names of those involved have not been released as of Wednesday morning.
An unreleased autopsy report from the Mahoning County Coroner's Office is expected to reveal the identity of the BMW's driver.