CHARDON, Ohio — Chardon Police are investigating a deadly shooting after police were called to Irma Drive around 9 p.m. Wednesday when someone reported hearing a gunshot. When officers arrived, they found a woman dead in the doorway of a home.
Steven Kurzinger of Willowick was arrested in Lake County.
Police said he is the ex-husband of the victim.
"I believe that this family has had some involvement with the police before, but, you know, obviously this is a very initial look," Chardon Police Chief Scott Niehus said hours after the shooting.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Chardon Municipal Court, the 36-year-old suspect is charged with murder. The complaint states Kurzinger admitted to a witness that he killed his ex-wife, shooting her twice.
He is being held at the Geauga County Safety Center and is expected to be arraigned at 10 a.m. Friday.
At the scene, Chardon Police and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation focused on the front yard of the victim's house, using metal detectors to search for evidence:
Officials do not believe anyone else was at the home at the time of the shooting.
Niehus told News 5 that neighbors helped identify the suspect, who fled in a car from the scene.
"It’s right next door, yes, it was scary,” said neighbor Amanda Celender.
Celender returned home on Wednesday night from her son’s championship ball game to police blocking Irma Drive.
“They told us basically to get our children inside as soon as possible,” Celender said.
According to the Geauga County Prosecutor, the house on Irma where the shooting happened is a Ravenwood Health home.
The organization helps people who need mental health or addiction treatment and recovery housing.
It is one of seven Ravenwood homes in the county.
“It’s very sad. They’re there to provide a nice stepping stone for these women basically to regain their life back into a normal society,” Celender said.
The prosecutor said that the victim in this case didn’t live there for very long and had previously resided at a different Ravenwood home.
No children lived there, but the prosecutor says the woman and her ex-husband have children together.
Lake County court records show he filed for divorce in 2021, with online court records showing it was an active case as of last Friday, with a hearing scheduled for today.
“She kept to herself, she really did,” Celender said.
This is the first killing in Chardon since 2012.
Celender’s children are 13 and 12 years old.
"They feel safe in their town. They feel safe on these streets. They ride their bikes. They go to friends. They go to the park. They were worried last night. They were worried,” Celender said.
What was a celebratory mood turned somber as Celender talked with her children about the crime next door.
"My daughter was so sad these kids have no parents,” Celender said.
