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Woman charged in slaying

WARREN – A woman who was in the car with the man shot to death by Warren police last October has been charged in connection with his death.

Regan Jelks, 21, is being held without bond in Trumbull County Jail on charges of involuntary manslaughter and two felony counts of improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle. She lists addresses on Woodbine Avenue S.E. and Niles-Cortland Road S.E. in Warren.

Jelks, who was arrested in Michigan and extradited to Warren, was picked up on a warrant out of Trumbull County.

Jelks was in the car with Taemarr Walker, 24, early Oct. 19 when Warren police officer Michael Krafcik shot Walker to death following a confrontation.

Krafcik, who was cleared April 10 by a Trumbull County grand jury of any wrongdoing, was responding to a disabled vehicle call when the car carrying Jelks and Walker drove off the roadway and into a ditch.

At that point, Krafcik approached the newly disabled car with a flashlight in his hand and spotted Walker jump from the front seat to the back seat, where the assault rifle was located. While still being warned to remain still, Walker lunged from the back seat to the front seat, pulling the pistol from underneath the driver’s seat.

Krafcik first fired through the car window and then fired additional shots at Walker.

An independent investigation by Ohio’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation revealed that Walker had with him a fully loaded semi-automatic .22 caliber rifle that had been stolen from a residence on Bane Street S.W. BCI agents recovered security video at the home showing Walker stealing guns June 22.

Also inside the car carrying Jelks and Walker was an unloaded Ruger 9 mm pistol that was removed by Warren police Sgt. Bryan Holmes from Walker’s hand after he was shot.

Jelks was questioned the night of the incident, but was not charged at that time.

news@tribtoday.com

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