A Warren dice game that spiraled into a deadly shootout has ended with a long prison term. On Friday, 24-year-old Savion C. Woodall was sentenced to 16 years to life in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court after pleading guilty to murder in a gunfight outside a downtown convenience store that killed 31-year-old David Lee Owens III and wounded Torian Phillips on Aug. 3, 2025. Judge Sean O’Brien ordered that lesser charges run at the same time, so the murder count will dictate how long Woodall stays behind bars.
Woodall pleaded guilty to murder, attempted murder, gun specifications, possession of a firearm in a liquor-permit premises, tampering with evidence and carrying a concealed weapon, according to The Vindicator. O’Brien explained that the murder conviction carries a sentence of 15 years to life and that an additional year for having a firearm bumps the total to 16 years to life. Defense attorney Rhys-Cartwright-Jones told the court that surveillance footage of the incident begins as a fistfight and ends in a shooting and called the 16-to-life term very serious.
Video Captures Dice Game Turned Deadly Shootout
Investigators say surveillance video shows a morning dice game outside the Convenient Food Mart at Elm Road and Larchmont Avenue that spiraled into a fight and then rapid gunfire, as reported by WFMJ. Police and court records indicate that several people fired weapons during the chaos. Owens was hit and later died, while Phillips was wounded but survived. The footage, along with follow-up work by officers, became a key piece in the plea discussions that wrapped up with Friday’s hearing.
Others Draw Federal Time In Same Gunfight
Three other men who fired shots that morning were handled in federal court rather than state court. According to The Vindicator, Jumal E. Rowe was sentenced to about 92 months in prison, Sean King to 86 months and Rayjon R. McElroy to 25 months. Trumbull County Assistant Prosecutor Chris Becker told the court that four firearms were used during the incident and that Woodall was the only shooter whose bullets struck anyone. Those federal plea deals were finalized before Woodall entered his state-level plea and received his sentence.
Shuttered Corner Store Becomes Neighborhood Flashpoint
The Convenient Food Mart has been boarded up since the Aug. 3, 2025, shooting, and city officials have moved to keep it closed under nuisance-abatement rules, WFMJ reported. While officials weigh what to do with the business’s liquor permit, neighbors launched a "Save Our Store" petition arguing the area needs the services the shop provided. The boarded-up building was also hit by a break-in after the shutdown, adding to tensions over the property. The closure has turned into a neighborhood flashpoint, pitting residents focused on public safety against those worried about losing a key local convenience.
In court, Woodall apologized and thanked his attorneys, and no one from the victims’ families chose to speak. With the shorter terms running concurrently, the murder sentence remains the controlling term for his incarceration. Prosecutors say the case highlights ongoing worries about gun violence in the Mahoning Valley and the complications that come with juggling state and federal prosecutions when multiple people fire guns in a single incident.
