2 wounded outside South Toledo bar

5/7/2010
BY MIKE SIGOV
BLADE STAFF WRITER
  • 2-wounded-outside-South-Toledo-bar

    Craighead

  • Two men were shot early yesterday outside a South Toledo bar after one of them apparently had an issue with the suspect's disrespectful treatment of women, Toledo police said.

    The shooting occurred just before 1 a.m. outside Lair Lounge, 3332 Glendale Ave., after an argument between the suspect and a couple of women near a pool table led to the altercation outside, officers said.

    The shooting victims, John Primas, 40, of Clinton Street in Maumee and John Ferner, 62, of Oakhill Court in Toledo, were taken to the University of Toledo Medical Center, the former Medical College of Ohio Hospital, police said. Mr. Primas was in serious condition; a hospital spokesman said no information about the other man was available.

    The alleged assailant, Jason Craighead, 31, of 1842 Genesee St., was charged with three counts of felonious assault, each a second-degree felony. He was booked into the Lucas County jail.


    James
    James

    A third person listed as a victim in the police report, Marcus Jones, 39, of South Byrne Road, was not hurt.

    Officer David Voigt was working off-duty at the Southland Shopping Center about 12:50 a.m. when he heard a report on his police radio of a man with a gun outside the bar. As he was heading there, he heard gunshots, the police report said.

    By the time he arrived, the suspect had fled. Police stopped the suspect's car a short time later and took him into custody without incident. A 22-caliber handgun was recovered from the vehicle, police said.

    Officer Voigt found Mr. Primas lying on the sidewalk on the north side of the bar, suffering from two gunshot wounds to his chest and one to his leg. Mr. Ferner was also on the scene, shot in the right ear.


    Mr. Jones told police the suspect and the two women had argued by a pool table. The suspect and his female companion left the bar and Mr. Primas and Mr. Jones followed them outside, where they exchanged words with the suspect before he grabbed a gun from the trunk of his car.

    The gun apparently jammed at first, but the gunman eventually fired several rounds, hitting the victims, police said. He then got into the driver's seat and drove straight at Mr. Primas, knocking him into the air, witnesses told police. A woman was in the front passenger seat.

    Mr. Ferner told officers he was not involved in the altercation. He said he was shot as he was walking out of the bar's outdoor smoking lounge, police said.

    Mr. Craighead was arraigned later in the day in Toledo Municipal Court and ordered held in lieu of $100,000 bond. He was on inactive probation since Feb. 18, when he was found guilty of menacing, a fourth-degree misdemeanor.

    Also arrested and booked into the jail was Jada James, 32, of the same Genesee address. She was charged with obstructing justice, a third-degree felony. At her arraignment in Toledo Municipal Court yesterday, she was ordered held in lieu of $10,000 bond pending her next court appearance, set for Thursday, according to jail records.

    Contact Mike Sigov at:

    sigov@theblade.com

    or 419-724-6089.