Police say an argument at Ray’s Memory Lane on Pearl Avenue may have led to the fatal shooting of Ortiz. (Photo by Bruce Bishop, The Chronicle-Telegram.)

LORAIN — When Rachel Asencio drove toward her home in South Lorain early Monday, she saw a commotion involving police cars and a crowd.

Ortiz

She didn’t know that her son Bryant Eddie Ortiz, 33, was lying shot to death in a driveway at 1816 E. 37th St. after, police say, an argument at nearby Ray’s Memory Lane bar on Pearl Avenue.

Another son, Mark Silva, had cradled his brother in his dying moments after a man emerged from the shadows, glared at Bryant Ortiz and fired.

Mark Silva begged his brother to live, asking, “What am I going to tell Mom?”

Bryant Ortiz was dead before police officers in two cruisers in the area arrived after hearing shots, according to Lorain police Sgt. Mark Carpentiere.

Mark Silva declined to describe the shooter in much detail, but he said it was obvious his brother was the intended target.

“The guy came out of nowhere — onto the sidewalk,” Silva said. “He didn’t look at me — his eyes were on my brother.”

A $2,000 reward is being offered for information. Anyone who saw or knows anything is asked to call Lorain police Detective Dennis Moskal at (440) 204-2139.

Moskal said it is believed the shooting stems from an argument inside or outside the bar.

Carpentiere said details are sketchy on the shooter and declined to give a description of the suspect.

In the back row, from left, are Bryant Eddie Ortiz’s brothers, Joseph Silva and Mark Silva. In the front row are cousin David Rodriguez,11, Ortiz’s mother, Rachel Asencio, and cousin Daniel Rodriguez. (Photo by Bruce Bishop, The Chronicle-Telegram.)

“He (Ortiz) got into an argument with someone inside the bar, the arguments spilled outside where he continued to argue with this man. He was shot and killed and the suspect ran from the scene,” Carpentiere said.

Police said they are not disclosing details such as how many times Ortiz was shot — or what kind of gun was used — in order to better gauge the veracity of statements made by any suspect or witness.

Coroner Paul Matus said police arrived about two minutes after the shooting was reported at 1:23 a.m. and found that Ortiz was already dead.

The autopsy was completed later Monday but results of drug and alcohol tests are not yet unavailable.

Ortiz’s family said he had some troubles with the law in the past, but had been trying to turn his life around. He worked at odd jobs but hoped to someday make it in the music business. His Facebook page showed an interest in rap. His family said he volunteered his time helping coaches in youth baseball.

Ortiz also loved to play softball and played outfield for Kiki’s Night Club and C&M Signs, according to Danny Rodriguez, a cousin.

The father of three children — Jazzlyn, 17, Andrew, 14, and Savannah, 8, Ortiz had a wonderful sense of humor, according to Rodriguez.

“Even the umpires would laugh — he was energetic,” said Rodriguez, who played alongside his cousin.

Rodriguez, coach of the Lorain Youth Baseball AMVETS team, said his cousin helped him with the youngsters and had a real knack with working with the young athletes.

The mere mention of Ortiz’s name brought tears to the eyes of Rodriguez’s sons, Daniel, 12, and David, 11.

Despite his young life, Ortiz touched many people, according to Jessica Cortez, a friend of the family.

“He was a big inspiration to these kids,” Cortez said of the young boys he helped coach.

Meanwhile, Asencio welcomed into her home dozens of friends and family who came with gifts such as food and white roses.

The killer put a terrible hole in the close-knit Puerto Rican family, said Asencio, who has four surviving sons, ages 29 to 42.

“He was a very lovable son,” she said.

Ortiz’s record

• 1993: felony grand larceny, New York
• 1994: felony drug abuse, Lorain County
• 2001: driving under suspension and no lighted plates
• 2002: misdemeanor domestic violence
• 2009: pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence, possession of drugs, aggravated menacing, and was awaiting sentencing

Contact Cindy Leise at 329-7245 or cleise@chroniclet.com.

SHEFFIELD — The Sheffield/Sheffield Lake school board passed a resolution Monday night 4-1 that will allow the district to pay substitute teachers up to $175 a day if teachers strike.

The only dissenting board member, Gloria Behrendt, said she was disappointed not to have a contract yet and cited her two grandchildren in the middle school as a “concern.”

“We really felt we had something going,” Behrendt said of prior negotiations.

Her “no” vote was met with applause and cheers by the dozens of teachers in attendance.

The resolution authorizes the superintendent to hire substitutes should teachers and school employees hit the picket line. No dollar amount was given for wages in non-teaching positions.

The superintendent could also close any school facility and “make any changes necessary to maintain the educational program and provide for the safety of all students and staff.”

“Rather than settling a contract they are preparing for a strike,” teachers union President Pat Czech said.
Czech said she hopes to have a “fair” package in place by Sept. 29 and said the teachers are trying to force additional mediations. The teachers union has given a 10-day strike notice and can go on strike starting Sept. 30.

Superintendent Will Folger said after the meeting the school board is “very committed to avoiding a strike.”
Folger said the number of substitutes to be hired, if needed, is not finalized.

It’s not just compensation but issues involving hospitalization, transfers and tuition reimbursement that keeps the two sides apart, Czech said.

“We are the only district in Lorain County that doesn’t offer its teachers tuition reimbursement,” Czech said. This is an issue since the state recently mandated all teachers have a master’s degree within two to five years of their first licensing, Czech said.

Folger agreed that “most of the issues are financial.”

Czech told fellow teachers she believed it was going to cost the district between $24,000 and $50,000 a day to keep the schools open because the district will pay the substitute teachers a wage, three meals a day, rooming expenses and transportation to and from the buildings.

Folger said the cost will be about $25,000 a day.

“It’s considerably less than we pay the teachers every day,” he said.

A news release issued Sunday by the board stated the teachers association and classified employees union exchanged new proposals but “remained far apart” after mediation Sunday.

“In a county where layoffs are announced all too frequently, we are surprised that we are offering pay increases and still can’t get a settlement,” Folger says in the news release.

Both sides said further mediation sessions have not been scheduled.

Contact Alicia Castelli at 329-7144 or acastelli@chroniclet.com.

AVON — The Lake Erie Crushers are giving Lorain County baseball fans one more chance to get out to All Pro Freight Stadium and witness a professional postseason game.

Second baseman Drew Saylor hit a two-run home run in the first inning and Paul Fagan pitched seven solid innings as the Crushers staved off elimination with a 3-1 win over the River City Rascals on Sunday night.

Crushers outfielders Arden McWilliams, left, and Tyler Johnson nearly collide while running down a double by Chris Colton last night. (Photo by David Richard, The Chronicle-Telegram.)

Read more

• Game story.
• Column: Crushers believe they can win it all.

“(The Rascals) are the kind of team that feeds off momentum,” said Fagan, who was named the Frontier League’s Most Valuable Pitcher this season. “Now we have the momentum. We need to win one more here, then go to their place and beat them so we can win the championship.”

River City captured Games 1 and 2 in O’Fallon, Mo., pushing the Crushers to the brink of elimination in the best-of-five series. But with Fagan on the mound and back in their home stadium, the Crushers were confident they could pull out a Game 3 win. Now they believe they can ride the momentum to a Game 4 win tonight and tie the series.

“We just have to go out there and do what we do,” Saylor said. “It’s baseball. We know we have to take it one game at a time, one inning at a time, one pitch at a time. If we do that, we’ll end up on top of things more often than not.”

Crushers manager John Massarelli believes the change in venue was a big reason for the turnaround in Lake Erie’s fortune.

“The guys all love playing here,” he said. “They talk about it all the time. They say that can’t get enough of playing at The Freight.”

They’ll get one more chance. Game 4 starts tonight at 7:05.

Contact Shaun Bennett at 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com.