WARREN — After being shut down via court order following a deadly shooting in its parking lot last summer, a Convenient Food Mart is expected to reopen under new ownership and new conditions, including an earlier closing time and a ban on hard liquor sales.

The agreement for the Elm Road store comes after months of negotiations, marking a fresh start for the site that became a flashpoint for community concerns over violence and late-night operations.

City Law Director Enzo Cantalamessa confirmed the city is in contact with the new owners but that no signed agreement has been finalized yet.

He described the deal as an “arm’s length transaction” with entirely new operators unaffiliated with the previous owners, adding that the new guidelines will include the store closing at 10 p.m. The business will also forgo a D5 liquor license, which allowed on-premises consumption of hard liquor, which were nonnegotiables.

The court-ordered temporary closure followed an Aug. 3, 2025, shooting in the parking lot during a dice game. David Lee Owens III, 31, was killed and another man was injured in the shootout.

The incident was one of several shootings in Warren that weekend that prompted city officials to label the store a nuisance because of repeated complaints about police calls stemming from late-night activity and liquor violations.

Savion Chase Woodall, 23, faces murder charges in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court, with a jury trial set for April 13, 2026, and a pretrial hearing Wednesday. Federal indictments from September 2025 charge Sean King, 37; Jumal Ellis Rowe, 32; and Rayjon Ray McElroy, 25, with illegal firearm possession as prohibited persons after the investigation linked them to the shooting, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The prospective buyers are members of the Singh family, who already operate the Northend Market in Warren on North Park Avenue and the MK Quickie Market in Niles.

Jot Singh, who will help run the store alongside his brother, said the family purchased the business after hearing it was for sale.

“We want to cooperate with the community,” Singh said. “We’re going to keep it nice and clean and follow the rules and regulations.”

He said they hope to build trust at the Elm Road site.

Singh said the family spoke with Cantalamessa recently and received permission to clean the premises, with a tentative reopening next week, possibly as early as Wednesday, pending final approvals.

The store’s previous owner, Mark Shafar, who had run the business for 33 years, described the sale as a reluctant but necessary step amid mounting losses from the closure.

“It’s killing me, but it beats the alternative,” Shafar said.

He described taking on a huge financial burden and criticized the city’s handling of the situation. He argued the shutdown was unfair given his long history in the community, but acknowledged the buyers as “good operators” who could revive the site.