A 20-year-old man is dead and a second man is recovering after gunfire tore through a street gathering in Lorain early Saturday, and as of this weekend, no one has been arrested. Lorain police say officers were dispatched around 4:10 a.m. Saturday to West 15th Street and Reid Avenue after reports of shots fired, where they found the young man lying in the roadway with multiple gunshot wounds.
The victim, identified by police as Marsilles Mastin, was taken by emergency medical personnel to Mercy Hospital, where he later died, according to WKYC. A second man, 34, also suffered multiple gunshot wounds but arrived at Mercy Hospital in a private vehicle rather than by ambulance; he was listed in stable condition. As reported by Cleveland 19 News, the shooting happened entirely outside, and investigators recovered numerous shell casings and other evidence scattered across the roadway.
Detectives Believe a Street Gathering Preceded the Gunfire
Lorain police believe a gathering had formed in the street before the shooting broke out, though the motive behind the violence and the identity of the shooter remain unknown. Detectives with the Lorain Police Department are continuing to investigate, and police have characterized the incident as isolated. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Lorain Police Department Detective Bureau at 440-204-2105, per the station's report.
Mercy Hospital was the treatment facility for both men.
Fatal Shooting Follows August Lorain Gathering
Saturday's shooting follows an August incident in which two teenagers were killed during a gunfight at a gathering at a Washington Avenue home. The August shooting was treated as a separate scene, and police reported no confirmed connection to other cases, as Hoodline previously reported. In May, the Lorain Police Department's Patrol Impact Team pursued and apprehended an attempted-murder suspect.
The Reid Avenue corridor itself has a history of gun violence stretching back years. In January 2017, a 26-year-old man was shot and killed inside a home in the 3300 block of Reid Avenue, a case that led to a murder warrant and a later murder charge against Vincent Lee.
Police Losing a Key Investigative Tool as Cases Mount
The Lorain County Sheriff's Office announced it would discontinue its automated license plate reader program with Flock Safety by the end of the year, citing rising contract costs. Those cameras can help investigators track suspects, and their pending loss adds uncertainty to how quickly detectives can identify leads in cases like Saturday's shooting.
Ohio crime data includes Lorain and Cuyahoga counties. Lorain is an Ohio city.
Potential Charges Would Carry Steep Penalties
If a suspect is eventually identified and charged, the case would proceed through the legal system.
For now, investigators are still working to determine who opened fire and why, and are examining shell casings recovered from the roadway. No arrests had been announced as of this weekend, and anyone with information is urged to reach out to Lorain police.
