Staff photo / Chris McBride Dawn Cobb, Convenient Food Mart office manager, seated, and store associate Heather Hankins address the media regarding a shooting death that occurred outside the store Sunday morning in Warren.

WARREN — A news conference will take place at 11 a.m. today inside City Council chambers, where Warren Mayor Doug Franklin will address a homicide that occurred Sunday morning that capped a violent weekend of shootings in Warren.

Store employees said a casual gathering in the parking lot of the Convenient Food Mart on Elm Road turned deadly in just a matter of minutes early Sunday morning, leaving one man dead and another injured in one of three shooting incidents that took place across the city.

“It was remarkable how quickly it went from laughing and hugging and eating pizza to one man beating on another and then just guns,” said Dawn Cobb, the store office manager, recounting the events captured on surveillance video.

The shooting, which followed a dice game and a thrown punch around 5:14 a.m. Sunday, claimed the life of someone Cobb recalled as being a regular customer who attempted to break up a fight. His death has left employees devastated.

“We’re a family here,” Cobb said. “It’s ripping us apart.”

Heather Hankins, a store employee with 30-plus years at the location, echoed the sentiment, saying that the store has had deep community ties since 1992.

“We’ve complied with everything the city has asked us to do,” Hankins said, referencing measures like closing from 2 to 4 a.m. and locking doors during the incident. “This is a tragedy that could have happened anywhere. We need our community to stand by us.”

Cobb said the employee on duty followed protocol, locking the doors and attempting to intervene before gunfire erupted, but claims there was a delayed 911 response; she said she called back two minutes later.

Cobb believed the delay was because of how active the city had been.

“In those two minutes, we could have lost everyone,” Cobb said, adding that the store is cooperating fully with police, and providing surveillance footage to aid the investigation.

At 5:22 a.m. Saturday, Warren police responded to reports of gunfire at the Convenient Food Mart at 1409 Elm Road NE, near Larchmont Avenue and Maplewood Street. A caller reported a man had been shot. Officers found a male resident of Williamsburg Street NW with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest; he was pronounced dead at the scene.

A second victim, also a male, suffered gunshot wounds to both legs and was transported to a hospital by EMS. The incident, classified as aggravated murder and felonious assault, stemmed from an argument following a dice game, with a handgun identified as the weapon used.

The report states police present at a nearby crime scene reported hearing six initial gunshots followed by possibly 20 more. Cobb said less than a dozen people were gathered outside, ordering food and playing dice, when a punch was thrown, leading to rapid gunfire.

Witnesses included store employees.

SCOTT STREET SHOOTING

David Hollie, 28, was arrested on charges of felonious assault and theft of a motor vehicle in connection with a shooting on Scott Street. At 2:41 a.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to 300 Scott Street NE, near Waverly Avenue and Lamphier Place, after a caller reported a man shot in the front yard.

The male victim, of Oak Knoll Avenue SE, sustained a gunshot wound to the forehead and was rushed to a hospital by EMS. The shooter fled in a stolen gray 2019 Buick Lacrosse sedan and crashed during a police pursuit on Youngstown Warren Road in Niles and was recovered by an officer.

The suspect was arrested and charged with felonious assault and motor vehicle theft, with the incident linked to an argument involving a handgun. The police report notes the suspect was known to carry a gun, with no evidence of hate crimes, alcohol, drug use, or domestic violence.

PHILLIPS DRIVE SHOOTING

The first incident occurred at 9:18 p.m. on Saturday at a single-family home in the 500 block of Phillips Drive SW, near Oak Street SW.

Officers responded to reports of shots fired and found a woman with gunshot wounds to both legs. She was transported to a hospital by EMS for treatment. The incident involved felonious assault and improper discharge of a firearm into a habitation, with no suspect identified.

CONVENIENT FOOD MART

The Convenient Food Mart has faced ongoing scrutiny from city officials because of safety concerns. At a Warren City Council meeting in July 2024, after an incident at the store, council members were prompted to place restrictions on the store’s Class D5 liquor permit, which allows alcohol sales until 2:30 a.m. Council passed an emergency measure to object to the permit’s renewal, risking the store’s closure if unresolved by the state liquor board’s October decision.

Cobb and Hankins said the store has been in compliance with city requests, including closing from 2 to 4 a.m. and restricting alcohol sales, and expressed hope for community support to keep the 30-year business open.

The Warren Police Department has not released further details on potential connections between the shootings or additional suspect information. Police urge anyone with information to contact them at 330-841-2573.