LORAIN, Ohio — Loved ones and neighbors of a Lorain woman fatally shot Sunday morning are grappling with the loss and unanswered questions surrounding her death.
Police responded shortly before 7 a.m. Sunday for reports of an unresponsive woman at an apartment on W. 24th Street in Lorain. Officers found a 45-year-old woman dead from an apparent gunshot wound.
The victim’s 16-year-old son was not at the scene when police arrived. He was found several hours later and arrested for murder in his mother’s death.
News 5 is not identifying the suspect or his mother at this time.
RELATED: 16-year-old boy accused of shooting, killing mother in Lorain
“I wanted to know if it was true. I didn’t believe something like that. I would have never thought, not in a million years, I would have never thought,” said Missy Reed, a friend of the victim.
Reed said her friend was turning her life around after previous challenges, including the death of her adult daughter in 2024. She said that despite the woman’s struggles, she was a loving friend and mother.
“I want [people] to know that she was an amazing person, an amazing friend, an amazing sister, an amazing mom, just all around amazing,” she said.
Neighbors who weren’t familiar with the family said it’s a tragic situation for everyone involved.
Dale Linder, who lives a block away, can relate to the pain.
“It always hits in the back of your head, something reminds you of them,” he said.
In 2012, Linder’s sons, Dale Jr. and Justin, were fatally shot at the family’s W. 23rd Street home by their cousin. She was later convicted of murder charges and sentenced to 60 years in prison.
As the neighborhood is once again rocked by violence, Linder said he feels for the victim’s loved ones.
“I just hope the family over there… someone can give them some help. Some people need counseling,” he said.
Reed said she’s also thinking about the victim’s family, including the son accused of her death.
“I don’t know what he was thinking,” she said. “I know nobody wants to kill their mom.”
Reed credits her friend with helping her get a job at a Lorain gas station. She said she was always her rock when she needed support, and now she’s feeling lost.
“Sunday night I literally cried myself to sleep, shut my phone off just for a couple of hours, just so I could wake up and it be a nightmare,” Reed said. “I have to be sleeping. I never would have imagined her being gone.”
Police said they’re still investigating what led up to the shooting. They’re asking anyone with information to reach out to the Lorain Police Detective Bureau at 440-204-2105.
