Two men suspected of opening-fire at a party at the Omega Psi Phi fraternity house near Youngstown State University early Sunday morning, killing one and injuring 11, will be held without bail based on the decision by a judge Tuesday.
Columbus Jones Jr., 22, and Braylon Rogers, 19, are both facing charges of aggravated murder, 11 counts of felonious assault and improperly discharging a firearm into a habitation.
Jamail Johnson, a 25-year-old senior at YSU, was killed in the shooting.
According to an article by the Trumbull County Conservative Examiner, Johnson died trying to save others from the gunfire.
Instead of running away from the shots, Johnson ran toward the shooters, pushing them out of the house.
Audrey Foreback, a junior elementary education major at SRU, was friends with Johnson.
“He was like a best friend to me,” she said. “I’ve known him since I was 15 years old.”
Foreback described Johnson as a very high-spirited person and said he was a proud member of Omega Psi Phi.
“I lost a great friend because of senseless violence, but he is a hero to many now,” she said. “Last Wednesday he told me he was proud of me. His words will remain in my heart forever.”
Among the 11 other victims of the shooting is Shavai Owens, a 17-year-old high school senior who is listed in critical condition. She suffered a gunshot wound to the head, according to the police report from the Youngstown Police Department.
According to an article by the Youngstown Vindicator Tuesday, Owens became conscious Monday morning.
The police report states that Jones and Rogers were involved in a fight at the Love Lounge night club in Youngstown earlier Saturday night. They reportedly came to the Omega Psi Phi party at 55 Indiana Ave., less than a mile from the YSU campus, looking for the individual they had fought with at the Love Lounge.
“The two entered the fraternity house and, not locating the individual they were looking for, began to argue with the fraternity members. The two were pushed out of the house and upon exit, both men pulled out automatic handguns and opened fire into the house,” the report said.
Charles Allen, a senior history and political science major at SRU and president of the Slippery Rock branch of the Zeta Pi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi, was shocked by the events.
“We were close with that branch so I’ve been there to visit them,” he said. “It’s a violent area, so I wasn’t shocked something like that happened, but I was shocked someone died.”
A memorial service will be held Saturday for Johnson, and Allen said he and his brothers will be there.
Jones and Rogers aren’t members of the fraternity or students at YSU.
The Youngstown Vindicator reported that prosecutors told the court Tuesday at the bail hearing that both Jones and Rogers have been in trouble with the law before.
Jones pled guilty and was convicted of felony burglary in August 2007. He was sentenced to an in-house treatment program and two years of probation. A probation violation in Feb. 2008 led Jones to be sentenced to three years in prison, but he was released in April 2009.
Jones was also accused of punching a woman in the face in 2007 and was convicted for assault on a teacher when he was a juvenile.
Rogers was convicted for attempted burglary and disorderly conduct as a juvenile, and was also involved in a hit-and-run in 2009.
Judge Robert Douglas of Youngstown Municipal Court made the decision to hold both suspects without bond. The suspects appeared at the arraignment via video.
YSU’s campus newspaper, The Jambar, reported that one of the victims, Jordon Wagner, 20, doesn’t think Jones and Rogers were the shooters.
Wagner, who was shot in his left shoulder and right foot, said he was standing next to Rogers when the shots were fired. Police and Wagner agree the shots came from outside the house.
According to police, all of the other victims that were interviewed pointed to Jones and Rogers as the shooters.
The Jambar could not be reached for comment by press deadline.