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Akron man arrested for allegedly shooting woman and kidnapping their child

Incident triggered Amber Alert
Arrest
Posted at 8:28 AM, Sep 20, 2022
and last updated 2022-09-20 18:59:57-04

AKRON, Ohio — An Akron man was arrested early Tuesday morning after allegedly shooting the mother of his child and kidnapping their 4-year-old son.

Around 6:45 p.m. on Monday, Akron Police responded to shots fired call in the 1100 block of Tulip Street.

When police arrived, they found 24-year-old Elsie Rivera Ortiz with multiple gunshot wounds.

Witnesses told police that Jose Castro took the woman's child and fled the scene in a vehicle.

Police issued an Amber Alert for the child.

Hours later, the child was returned to Akron Police unharmed. Police say Castro dropped the child off to a family friend and that person brought the boy to a detective.

Rivera Ortiz was transported to Cleveland Clinic Akron General Hospital. Police said she was in critical condition. On Tuesday, her family said Rivera Ortiz had stabilized in the hospital and was able to answer questions.

Cleveland Police arrested Castro on Detroit Avenue shortly after midnight.

"Not sure what his intentions were after just shooting the child's mother, so it could have been a very volatile situation, but glad for a safe ending in that part of it," Akron Police Capt. David Laughlin said.

Police records show that in June, the 24-year-old woman's sister notified authorities that Castro was harassing the woman due to a break up.

During that incident, police say Castro fired a gun into the ground after an argument with a man. Castro was indicted on several charges, including misdemeanor discharge of firearms. He was arrested for that incident but released after posting $2,500 (10 percent) of a $25,000 bond last month.

Castro is currently being held in the Summit County Jail and is charged with felonious assault and kidnapping for Monday's incident.

He was scheduled for a video arraignment Today, but it had to be rescheduled for Wednesday since he refused to come out of his cell, court officials said.