Message sent
Perry Township police probe shooting incident at Salem Acres apartment
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SALEM -- Unidentified shooters delivered a message on a rock and fired a barrage of bullets early Thursday into a car and Salem Acres apartment, but police said they believe the shooters may have hit the wrong location.
Perry Township Police Chief Mike Emigh would not say why he and Detective Jordan Reynolds both believe the shots were fired at the wrong apartment, but that's what they believe based on the investigation so far.
The apartment complex is located in the 1100 block of Prospect Street.
"I think they wanted to leave a warning," Emigh said.
No injuries were reported, but he said at least three of the bullets narrowly missed the resident who was lying on the couch while his 9-year-old son slept in a nearby bedroom. Investigators found 31 shell casings, with some from a 9mm and some identified as .380 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol), indicating at least two shooters, but Reynolds also said there's evidence there may have been a third shooter.
The shell casings are being sent to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation crime lab for analysis and to see if the bullets came from weapons used in any other crimes.
The working theory is that the shooters were on foot, walking up to the vehicle and apartment and opening fire after parking their own vehicle somewhere else, possibly in the area of West Perry Street. Emigh said witnesses heard people running across the property, heading south towards West Perry Street. The incident happened sometime after midnight, with Emigh getting a call to respond at 12:50 a.m. He's not sure how much time lapsed between the shooting and when police were called, with one person saying they thought the noise was from fireworks.
A big rock was thrown into the car and had a written message tied to it, but Emigh would not say what the note said. The 2019 Toyota Camry was riddled with bullets, as were the windows and door of the apartment.
Reynolds said bullets also traveled through the one apartment into another apartment. No one in the other apartment was injured, either.
"We don't know the motive yet. We suspect what it is, but don't know why they shot up that location. Could be they just had the wrong apartment," he said, adding it could be related to an incident that occurred earlier this month when a weapon was pulled on someone.
"At this time we have no suspects," Emigh said.
Reynolds added that it's more than likely drug-related. Just 12 hours earlier, the Columbiana County Drug Task Force, Sheriff's Office and Perry Township Police executed a search warrant at a house in the 800 block of Georgetown Road where numerous suspected narcotics and drug paraphernalia were found. That location is also in Perry Township, not too far from Prospect Street and West Perry Street, which both intersect with Georgetown Road.
Anyone with information about the shooting or who may have heard or seen anything suspicious between midnight and 1 a.m. Thursday should contact the Perry Township Police Department at 330-337-7836. If no one answers, Emigh said to leave a message and an officer will return the call.
He and Reynold said they're still gathering evidence and conducting interviews as part of the investigation. When asked how the apartment resident was doing after such a traumatic experience, Emigh said, "A little shaken, but I guess I would be, too."
mgreier@salemnews.net