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YOUNGSTOWN -- Darnell l. Jones, 19, who has addresses in Austintown and Warren, has been indicted on charges of aggravated murder, murder, attempted murder, felonious assault and other charges in the Sept. 11, 2023, killing of Ty'Lend J. Lewis, 21, on Summer Street on Youngstown's South Side.
Lewis was found shot to death about 7:10 p.m. that day after police were called there for a shooting by a family member, who found the victim. He was deceased before police and ambulance personnel arrived, according to a Youngstown police press release.
The location of the killing is a block east of Glenwood Avenue. Capt. Jason Simon of the detective division of the Youngstown Police Department said last year that investigative work, forensic evidence and cooperation from the public were keys to solving the case.
Simon asked the public for help when Lewis' death occurred. It was the fifth homicide in 14 days during a year when homicides overall had dropped compared with the previous year.
"We are steadfast in our declaration that the violence must stop," Simon stated in a press release Sept. 11, 2023. "And we know our community is behind us in this message.
"The public has been an amazing partner, and YPD appreciates the information that is given to us when these tragic and senseless incidents happen, which further solidifies the collaboration between our offices and those we serve."
Jones was charged with murder Oct. 30 in Youngstown Municipal Court, but he was never arraigned on the charge there. He was in the Trumbull County jail at the time, but was placed in the Mahoning County jail April 8, according to Mahoning County jail records.
At the time Jones was charged in the Lewis murder, he had been in the Trumbull County jail since Sept. 29. He was arrested on a warrant issued by a judge in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court after Jones failed to appear for sentencing several days earlier.
His Trumbull County charges related to leading Niles police on a foot chase after they confronted him about a possible stolen car April 1, 2023.
According to a police report, Niles police were alerted by their Flock license plate cameras of a stolen vehicle entering the city on Robbins Avenue about 6:30 p.m. April 1, 2023. Officers located the vehicle in a driveway on South Carnegie Avenue in Niles and saw a man walking away.
When officers pulled up to talk to Jones, he turned and ran, a police report states. The officers ran through a wet area with thornbushes, which caused injuries to the officers' faces, the report states.
Officers arrested Jones in the woods. An AK-47-type rifle was found inside the vehicle.
Jones was charged with several offenses but later was indicted on a charge of receiving stolen property and pleaded guilty June 29, 2023, to theft. He did not appear for his Sept. 25, 2023, sentencing hearing, but was sentenced Oct. 11 to probation in the Trumbull County case.
Jones' address in Warren was Fifth Street SW. His address in Austintown was on South Edgehill Avenue, according to Mahoning County court records.