ELYRIA, Ohio — A 14-year-old boy was found dead from a gunshot wound in Elyria Monday morning, Elyria Police officials stated.
At about 5 a.m., officers responded to the 400 block of 3rd Street for a possible homicide and found an unresponsive teen who had sustained a fatal gunshot wound, police said in a news release.
Detectives and the Lorain County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene and are currently investigating.
Elyria Police and Mayor Frank Whitfield are urging people to call detectives with any information that could help solve this crime.
The police chief revealed there was evidence of gunshots toward the house on 3rd street where police say the boy’s mother found her son, Shayne Edwards, who was a student at Elyria High School.
"I want to offer my deepest condolences to Kristin and Shayne, the parents of Shayne,” Whitfield said.
Whitfield expressed sadness and anger during a news conference Monday. He vowed to bring the person responsible to justice.
"This is not normal and it's not happening everywhere it's not happening everywhere and especially not happening this frequently. So we know it doesn't have to be this way,” Whitfield said.
Police Chief Bill Pelko says he does not know if Shayne was the intended target but believes there were five people at the home.
When News 5 asked whether there was any previous threats, the chief would not comment—only to say they are still looking into some things.
He says his detectives are looking for neighborhood cameras to help establish a timeline.
"This is unacceptable what happened to the young man,” Pelko said.
Shayne was a freshman at Elyria High School. Whitfield asked the community to not only wrap their arms around Shayne’s family but fellow students and his friends.
"The folks who went to school with him all these years who are now trying to cope and understand now to handle this,” said Whitfield.
The school day started with counselors at Elyria schools ready to talk to students and staff.
The mayor and police chief are asking anyone who can help detectives to step forward and they can do that anonymously by texting the keyword TIPELYRIA and tip to 847411. You can also leave a tip here.
“Imagine where you were at the age of 14 and how much life you've experienced since then. Imagine how your mother, father and siblings felt had they lost you like this,” Whitfield said.
You can watch the full news conference in the player below:
Elyria City Schools posted a Facebook message about the loss:
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