1 killed, 2 wounded in weekend shootings

Autopsy scheduled today for 28-year-old killed Saturday

Toledo police officers observe an idling but disabled sports utility vehicle near Lawrence and Fernwood that they believe was used in a shooting in the 600 block of Fernwood Avenue.

The Blade/Amy E. Voigt
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Toledo police officers observe an idling but disabled sports utility vehicle near Lawrence and Fernwood that they believe was used in a shooting in the 600 block of Fernwood Avenue.

Editor's Note: This article has been updated to add a second Sunday shooting.

A Toledo man who was killed Saturday was shot two times, an autopsy showed.

Robert Harris, 28, was shot once in the back and once in the right leg, said Dr. Cynthia Beisser, a Lucas County deputy coroner. Dr. Beisser ruled the death a homicide. The victim was shot in the 800 block of Vance Street at about 10:50 p.m., police said.

On Monday, an empty liquor bottle and a pile of black shattered glass littered the ground near where Mr. Harris died. A memorial for the victim was outside a Nebraska Avenue home where he once lived. In the grass, votive candles spelled out “RIP ROB.”

No suspects have been identified and police said they are “still trying to generate witnesses.” A motive was not known.

Police also today identified two men who were shot Sunday morning.

Shot in the 600 block of Fernwood Avenue, at about 11:40 a.m., was DoJuan Smith, 20; shot at Dorr Street and Lawrence Avenue was Larin Patton, 25. Police said the two might have been involved in an altercation, although details about the shootings — only several blocks away and reported within minutes of one another — were not entirely clear.

The Sunday shootings do not appear to be related to the Saturday homicide.  Police originally said the first shooting on Sunday might have been retaliation for Mr. Harris‘‍ death.

Mr. Harris was taken to Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center, where he died while receiving emergency treatment.

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At 11:40 a.m., Mr. Smith was shot in the groin while walking in the 600 block of Fernwood Avenue, several blocks from the overnight shooting scene, by occupants of a tan sport utility vehicle that drove past him, police said.

An ambulance took him to St. Vincent for treatment.

Neighbors reported that the car’‍s occupants fired more than 10 shots before the SUV continued west on Fernwood and struck two parked cars near Wells Street.

Jennifer Salmon, who lives on the block of the shooting, left her house to survey the scene only after she heard the screech of tires as the car skidded down the street.

We were in the house, and we thought it was firecrackers,” she said.

Several vehicles began a pursuit of the SUV, which became disabled by a broken tie rod after two blocks.

Officers investigate a site on the 600 block of Fernwood Avenue near Wells Street as they look for clues in the wounding of a man on Sunday.

The two young men inside fled on foot, leaving the vehicle stopped with its engine running on Lawrence Avenue.

The SUV remained there more than an hour after the shooting until police had it towed.

One of the men later turned up at ProMedica Toledo Hospital seeking medical treatment, police said. It was not clear if he was shot or injured in some other way. However, there were reports of more shooting at the corner of Ewing and Dorr streets, around the corner from the damaged vehicle.

The second SUV occupant’‍s whereabouts were unknown. Neither suspect was identified by police.

Mr. Harris is the 14th homicide victim in the Toledo metropolitan area so far this year, with all but one of the homicides occurring in Toledo.