×

Prosecution says Ryan Daniels was reckless with pistol

Defense argues Warren man's actions were ‘negligent’

Staff photo / Raymond L. Smith From left, defense attorney Carlos Johnson, defendant Ryan Daniels Sr. and defense attorney Antonio Nicholson listen to the questioning of potential jurors Tuesday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court. Daniels, 29, is on trial for the Feb. 24, 2019, shooting death of Britney Mazanec, 33, outside the Hideaway Bar in Niles.

WARREN — The fate of a man whose actions led to the death of Britney Mazanec may depend on whether jurors are convinced his actions were reckless or negligent.

Ryan Daniels Sr., 29, of Bonnie Brae Avenue in Warren is being tried on charges of reckless homicide, involuntary manslaughter and illegal possession of firearms in a liquor permit premises.

In his opening arguments, Trumbull County Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Becker argued Daniels, who he described as having been drinking, was reckless in his actions when, shortly after 2:21 a.m. Feb. 24, 2019, he ran from his car while carrying a loaded Bersa Thunder .45 caliber pistol to the passenger side of the car that Mazanec was driving.

Meghan Tomlin was being hit by another woman standing outside the vehicle when Daniels ran to the car, Becker said. Mazanec rolled up the passenger side window in an attempt to stop the fight from escalating further.

Mazanec, 33, began backing up the vehicle, hitting Daniels, according to Becker.

Defense Attorney Fernando Mack, in his opening statement, suggested that Daniels Sr., who he said was a theology student, had run over to Mazanec’s car after being called over by a friend to be a peacemaker and help separate several women who were fighting.

Mack described Daniels twice tapping on the window with the gun still in his hand. It was on the second tap that the gun unintentionally fired, shattering the window of the passenger side door.

Tomlin, at the time, did not know that Mazanec had been critically wounded. Mazanec drove from the rear parking lot of the Hideaway Bar, 5840 1/2 Youngstown Warren Road, to the edge of the road, where the vehicle stopped.

Daniels, according to Mack, did not realize she had been shot and left the area.

Mack told the jurors that his client, who was at the bar with several friends, had not had a drink since shortly after 9 p.m. on Feb. 23. In addition, Mack suggested Daniels kept his pistol in the glove compartment of his vehicle and did not take it out at any time when he was inside the Hideaway Bar. It was only after he was called over about the scuffle in the parking lot that he grabbed the weapon from the vehicle.

While admitting his client may have breached the standard of care a person should take when carrying a weapon and, perhaps, was negligent, Mack argued Daniels was not reckless in his actions.

“His intentions were to make peace,” Mack said. “This was accidental.”

Becker said the bullet that hit Mazanec traveled through her right arm and her chest cavity and hit her aorta. Becker said the report of a Cuyahoga County coroner that will be read into the record will note the bullet that killed Mazanec came from the .45 caliber pistol retrieved from Daniels days after the shooting.

“This was not an accident,” Becker argued. “You will have to decide if the defendant was reckless.”

Becker intended to have Trumbull County Coroner Dr. Thomas James as the trial’s first witness, but the defense stipulated to the cause of death, so he did not have to take the stand.

Tomlin is expected to be the first witness to take the stand today.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
     

COMMENTS

Starting at $4.85/week.

Subscribe Today