Police identify man found in North Toledo home

Members of the Toledo Police Department SWAT unit move into a home after a shooting on Bricker near Doyle today.

THE BLADE/ANDY MORRISON
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Members of the Toledo Police Department SWAT unit move into a home after a shooting on Bricker near Doyle today.

Toledo police have identified the man found dead today in a North Toledo home, and are still searching for a man seen with blood on him who stole a car and drove away from the scene.

Police identified the victim as Junior Francous, 39. His address was not given.

An autopsy has been scheduled for Thursday, said Dr. James Patrick, Lucas County coroner.

Police were called to1018 Bricker Ave. about 1:08 p.m. on a report of shots fired.

When they arrived, they learned a woman had fled the house. She told police that a suspect was still inside.

The woman had suffered a slight head wound, and told police that she and her boyfriend had been inside the home when it was burglarized. She said shots had been fired during the invasion, Toledo Police Sgt. Joe Heffernan said.

Police set up a perimeter, and a SWAT team entered shortly before 3 p.m. They found Mr. Francous dead inside.

Police said that the suspect appeared to flee before police arrived and stole a car about a block away.

The car, a white, four door 1996 Pontiac Grand Prix, had a license plate number of EZK5290. The suspect was described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall, with a black shirt.

Neighbors expressed anger at both the brazenness of the invasion — at 1 p.m. in a residential neighborhood filled with people — and at what they considered an excessive delay between when officers arrived on scene and when the house was entered.

“It doesn’t take more than 20 minutes to breach that house,” Chase Britton said. “What are they waiting for?”

Arriving officers did not know the identity of anyone in the house, Sergeant Heffernan said, and did not know if anyone was armed, so they followed department policy and waited for the SWAT team to arrive.

Sergeant Heffernan said that an officer was bit by a “pit bull” found in the back yard of the residence when the Lucas County Dog Warden tried to remove the dog. The officer was treated on scene; Sergeant Heffernan did not know if the officer was later taken to the hospital for further treatment.

Police are asking anyone with information about the man or the car to call419-255-1111.

— Staff writers Nolan Rosenkrans and Mark Zaborney compiled this report