WARREN — The city has temporarily closed a Convenient Food Mart on Elm Road following a court order issued Thursday, in response to a fatal shooting in the store’s parking lot.

It was the fourth homicide of the year in Warren.

The closure was executed by the city’s operations department, which boarded up the property Thursday morning. The move stems from a violent shooting Sunday about 5:20 a.m.

Two men were shot in the store’s parking lot, with David Lee Owens III killed and another man sustaining non-life-threatening injuries.

Warren Law Director Enzo Cantalamessa described the store as a longstanding nuisance, citing illegal after-hours alcohol sales as a factor in the violence.

Trumbull County Common Pleas Court documents reveal surveillance footage captured five alcohol sales between 4:33 a.m. and 5:09 a.m. on the day of the shooting, violating Ohio Revised Code 4303.18.

The city also said footage showed a crowd loitering inside and outside the store, with patrons purchasing and consuming alcohol in cups and engaging in a dice game, with some armed with handguns and rifles.

The court noted that Warren police have responded to the property 54 times since January 2024, including five calls for gunshots, with four people shot, one fatally.

A temporary restraining order, filed Thursday against 1409 Elm Realty, Inc., was granted ex parte by Judge Sarah Thomas Kovoor.

The order mandates the removal of all occupants from the property at 1409 Elm Road, closure and padlocking of the premises, and allows Warren police to inventory and secure valuable property to prevent theft. Only necessary personal items can be removed under police supervision.

The order remains in effect until a hearing scheduled for 1 p.m. Aug. 20, or until modified by the court.

Store employees denied serving alcohol and claimed compliance with an agreement to close from 2 to 4 a.m. Office manager Dawn Cobb said the business learned of the illegal sales Wednesday and plans to contest the closure.

Chief Prosecutor Traci Timko-Sabau stated the store was operating and selling liquor after hours, contributing to the unsafe environment. The weekend of the shooting saw two additional shootings in Warren, with police still seeking public assistance to identify the shooters. No arrests have been made in connection with the Convenient Food Mart incident.