LORAIN, Ohio — The Lorain Police Department is investigating a shooting that left a 20-year-old man dead and a 34-year-old man injured. It marks the city’s fourth homicide in six weeks.
According to Capt. Jacob A. Morris, it happened around 4:10 a.m. Saturday near W. 15th Street and Reid Avenue.
“[It was] definitely not fireworks, [it was] gunshots: 3 shots, then a pause, then 2 shots,” neighbor Dustin Adkins recalled hearing early Saturday.
Other neighbors reported hearing a party in the area before the violence.
“They’re out partying, supposed to be having a good time, and how did it end up with somebody getting killed? That’s way out of whack,” said neighbor Richard Daniel.
Morris said officers responded to the area for shots fired and found the 20-year-old lying in the road. He had been shot multiple times. EMS transported the man, later identified as Marsilles Mastin, to Mercy Hospital, where he later died.
According to Morris, the 34-year-old man was also injured and showed up at Mercy Hospital to receive treatment for a gunshot wound. His condition was listed as stable.
Officers on scene located multiple shell casings, and Morris said the preliminary investigation indicates that there was a gathering on the street before the shooting happened.
“Everybody will feel this pain until they’re gone,” said Roman Buckosh.
The Lorain resident, who owns property near where the shooting occurred, said it’s a familiar pain. He lost his nephew to gun violence weeks earlier.
“He had a lot of things to look forward to in his life that was taken unjustly,” Buckosh said.
His nephew, 18-year-old Marc Taylor, had recently graduated from Elyria High School with honors.
Taylor and 17-year-old Silas Henry were both killed in a shooting at a short-term rental property on Washington Avenue in Lorain on Aug. 16. A 19-year-old was charged for the killings.
RELATED: City of Lorain issues cease and desist after deadly double shooting at short-term rental
Less than a week later and five blocks down the same street, a man was found dead on the ground with gunshot wounds. He was later identified as 59-year-old Jorge Pabon. Lorain Police said they’re actively investigating the suspected homicide and looking for potential suspects.
The stretch of violence began in late July, when police arrested a 16-year-old for the shooting death of his 67-year-old grandfather on G Street.
RELATED: 16-year-old charged for death of 67-year-old man in Lorain
Saturday’s incident marks the fourth shooting death since then. Police said it’s still an active homicide investigation.
“We just know that something horrible happened, somebody died, somebody was injured and it was close to home,” Adkins said.
Buckosh said he hopes the tragedies serve as reminders that life is fleeting and the pain caused by violence can be irreparable.
“Your life is so much more valuable than anything someone can take from you… because you can get things back — money, items, a car, a phone, whatever it is. But you can’t get your life back,” he said.
Police said no arrests have been made.
"Detectives are actively reviewing all available evidence and information as they work to identify those responsible and hold them accountable," Morris said.
The police department is asking anyone with information to contact the Detective Bureau at 440-204-2105.
