BEREA — Eric Mangini was fired as coach of the Browns today after two seasons.
President Mike Holmgren met with Mangini in the morning and informed the coach. Mangini had two years and nearly $8 million left on his contract.
“This decision was not easy for me, and it was one into which I put a great […]

LORAIN — A Lorain man who had to be LifeFlighted after he was shot last night is now in good condition, according to hospital spokeswoman.

Jalen Ross, 18, is hospitalized at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland.

Officers were called to the area of Washington Avenue and West Sixth Street about 7:30 p.m. after several callers reported hearing shots fired, according to a police report.

Police didn’t find any victims but received a call from Mercy Regional Medical Center that a shooting victim had arrived at the hospital.

Officers who responded to the hospital got basic info from Ross, who had been shot in the lower right side and was about to be LifeFlighted to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland and spoke with Ross’ uncle, Vincent Smith.

Smith said he was at a friend’s home on West 30th Street when he received a call from Ross requesting a ride. Smith said he picked Ross up in the area of West 25th Street and Broadway and dropped him off in the area of West Fifth Street and Washington.

Smith said five males dressed all in black approached the car as he was about to drop Ross off and began banging on the passenger-side windows. He said they then displayed weapons, which he described as “revolvers” and “automatics,” and began shooting at the car.

Ross then said he’d been shot, so he drove straight to the hospital, Smith said. Ross said he couldn’t identify any of the men but said they were all black males.

Officers found seven bullet holes in Smith’s car.

Officers back at the scene located several bullet casings of different calibers lying around, according to the report. Several bullet holes were also found in parked cars on Washington Avenue.

Ross’ clothing and cell phones and Smith’s vehicle were all secured as evidence.

This shooting may or may not be related to three incidents the night before, according to Lorain police Sgt. Mark Carpentiere.

No one was hurt in any of the previous incidents.

In each of the incidents, between 12 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. Dec. 29, either a car or home window was shot out.

“We don’t believe that these incidents are random,” Carpentiere said when asked if citizens should be particularly concerned. “Obviously, if someone is shooting a gun, innocent people could be hurt, but we don’t believe these are people shooting at people they don’t know.”
View Dec. 29 shots fired, Lorain, Ohio in a larger map

CT photo by Bruce Bishop.

ELYRIA — Firefighters and officials from Ohio Edison responded to the scene of a fire at the Woodford Avenue Substation in Elyria this afternoon.

The fire was reported about 4 p.m. at the substation near 175 Woodford. First responders reported that the substation was “majorly arching” and had exploded. The fire was still burning but was under control by 4:30 p.m. Officials said it was a capacitor bank that caught fire.

Fire officials said Ohio Edison should be able to repair the substation without shutting it down, and there shouldn’t be any power outages.

Check back at Chroniclet.com for more on this story as it becomes available.

LORAIN — Police in Lorain were busy responding to multiple reports of gunfire shattering windows overnight, according to reports.

Lorain police Sgt. Mark Carpentiere said he didn’t know if the incidents are related but said “we’re looking into that possibly.”

Police confiscated a pellet gun used in one incident and found a bullet in another, so the weapons, at least, are not the same.

Police were flagged down by a citizen in the area of West 10th Street and Washington Avenue shortly after midnight. The individual told officers he or she had heard a shot fired and glass shattering and observed a red Ford Escort or similar vehicle with at least three black males in it leaving the area.

Officers located a blue Ford Explorer parked behind 1016 W. 10th St. with a shattered black window. Officers made contact with the vehicle’s owner but could not locate the red suspect vehicle.

Less than 20 minutes later, officers were called to 1928 Lexington Ave. The caller told police she was sleeping and awoke to her children yelling that someone had shot the house. Police found a top pane in a window shattered.

The woman said her daughter heard male voices immediately after the shot was fired. Officers found a black and silver carbon-dioxide-powered pellet gun outside the home near the broken window, according to the report.

At 1:20 a.m., officers were called to 1059 W. 11th St. and met with victims who said their car window was shot out while they were driving in the area of Leavitt and Meister roads.

The victims said they were northbound on Leavitt after leaving the 7-Eleven. They said a small dark car was behind them, and a two-tone pickup truck was southbound but did a U-turn and pulled up behind then shortly before their vehicle’s back window was shattered.

Both vehicles then took off, they said.

Officers found a slug in a rear passenger seat and observed a dent that appeared to be from another bullet in the rear quarter panel of the car.

“We don’t believe that these incidents are random,” Carpentiere said when asked if citizens should be particularly concerned. “Obviously, if someone is shooting a gun, innocent people could be hurt, but we don’t believe these are people shooting at people they don’t know.”

View Dec. 29 shots fired, Lorain, Ohio in a larger map