Man becomes Toledo's 9th homicide of year

Iesha Collins, 17, who is the sister of slain teen Marquan McCuin, 18, hugs her cousin, who did not want to be identified, near the spot in the alley behind the 7-Eleven where the body was found.

The Blade/Amy E. Voigt
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Iesha Collins, 17, who is the sister of slain teen Marquan McCuin, 18, hugs her cousin, who did not want to be identified, near the spot in the alley behind the 7-Eleven where the body was found.

Eighteen-year-old Marquan McCuin was just a block away from his home, riding a bicycle back to his girlfriend who is three months pregnant, when he was shot and killed in an alley early Sunday.

The South Toledoan had just bought snacks from a nearby 7-Eleven for the two of them, and called his girlfriend, Sharita Murphy, minutes before his death to have her open the door to the house on Daniels Avenue where they lived and wait for him.

But soon after Ms. Murphy opened the door, she heard gunshots.

Police said Mr. McCuin, of 317 Daniels Ave., was found at 1:09 a.m. in an alley off the 1100 block of Gordon Street, near Western Avenue and Hawley Street. The victim had apparently been shot and was pronounced dead at the scene, a police report said.

According to the report, witnesses saw a man fleeing the area.

As of late Sunday, no arrests had been made in what was the ninth homicide of this year in Toledo and the 12th in the metro area. Police Sunday revealed little information about the investigation.

A photograph of slain teen Marquan McCuin when he was about 11 years old.

It was the latest in an epidemic of shootings in Toledo. During June, 27 people were shot, one fatally. The violent month prompted Toledo police to take action, creating a gun task force and offering rewards to anyone with information that could lead to arrests in two of the most heinous shootings and for illegal gun possession.

Police Chief Mike Navarre said there would be no changes in policy after the department's recent moves, which included offering $1,000 for information about unlicensed firearms.

"The fact of the matter is, we live in a city, and we have crimes," Chief Navarre said. "I think we're going to keep doing what we put in place last week, because it seems to be working."

Mr. McCuin's family and friends mourned him Sunday.

Ms. Murphy said she would have gone to the 7-Eleven with him, but she was in too much pain from the pregnancy.

"They were trying to get him alone," she said. "He was my baby's daddy."

Mr. McCuin had received threats for over four weeks regarding a stolen firearm, according to Ms. Murphy and Alex McCuin, Mr. McCuin's cousin.

Both claim that Mr. McCuin was wrongly accused of stealing the firearm, and Ms. Murphy said her boyfriend had been engaged in the argument as recently as Saturday.

Renee McCuin, 38, sister of slain teen Marquan McCuin 18, grieves her brother while sitting with friends and family on their porch at 317 Daniels Ave.

His mother, Rosie Phillips, described her son as hyperactive. She said he finished 10th grade at Mayfield School in 2010, but he had not been to school since and was planning to get his GED.

Ms. Phillips said she went to sleep before the shooting, and awoke to news from a neighbor of her son's death. She said her son's death was especially hard after the passing of her boyfriend nine months ago.

"I feel like I just want revenge," Ms. Phillips said.

Ms. McCuin only had one son, and Marquan's father died two years ago of cancer. Mr. McCuin is survived by his mother and four sisters.

RELATED CONTENT: The Blade 2011 Homicide Report

Contact Daniel Bethencourt at dbethencourt@theblade.com or 410-724-6050.