WARREN - The Kenwood Street female who was fatally shot late Saturday was on the phone and in the midst of a feud at the time.
Zeboney A. Bess, 17, 2520 Kenwood St. S.W., was walking about 10 p.m. near 2057 Hamilton St. S.W., less than a half-mile from her home, when she was shot in the middle of the street.
Family members said Bess had received threatening text messages recently from someone with whom she had been in a relationship. Police said she was on the phone when she was shot, and a woman that called 911 to report the shooting said she heard Bess arguing before hearing gunshots.
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Zeboney A. Bess, of Warren, was shot and killed over the weekend.
Police said the shots were fired out of a dark-colored sport utility vehicle that drove past her.
Bess was found by police lying in the middle of Hamilton Street, reports said.
She was taken to Trumbull Memorial Hospital and flown via emergency helicopter to St. Elizabeth Health Center, where she died. The Mahoning County coroner conducted the autopsy late Monday and results were unavailable. Family members said she was shot in the head.
A man was taken into custody Saturday, reports said, and was released without being charged.
The homicide is the city's third this year and could be the fourth if police determine that another man whose body left in Warren Township was killed in the city.
Zandra Bess, Zeboney's older sister, said Monday that she learned from friends after the shooting that Zeboney Bess had received several threatening text messages from a man with whom Zeboney was involved.
"What kind of man would shoot a girl?" Zandra Bess said. "That's a coward that would do something like that."
Amanda Edwards, Zeboney's aunt, said her niece was sweet, outgoing and was always helping people. She said Zeboney and her father, Albert Favors, had a special relationship and were always close.
Favors didn't want to speak with reporters Monday except to say, "She was so loveable. Just ask anyone around here. She had a lot of love for people."
Edwards said Zeboney Bess had come to her house just a few days ago just to hug her.
"She just came to my house and hugged me for the longest time," said Edwards, also a Warren resident. "I asked her if anything was wrong, and she said 'No. I just wanted a hug.' I said 'As long as you like.' She was an angel and still is."
Zandra Bess, 26, said her sister went to Warren G. Harding High School up until the end of last school year and was going to pursue her general equivalency diploma next school year. She said she had recently passed the Air Force test and wanted to become a pilot in the military, much like one of her older sisters, who is serving in the Marine Corps.
"The worst thing was to see how her face looked," Zandra Bess said. "It was terrible to see her like that, but when they pronounced her brain dead I just kissed her all over her face 105,000 times."