Authorities are looking for a 21-year-old Dayton man in connection with a fatal shooting in Dayton Thursday. Police believe the man is responsible for the murder of the 25-year-old shooting victim, who was killed outside an apartment complex on Liscum Drive.
Details of the shooting are still being sussed out, but the victim had previously told police that he believed someone was trying to kill him. He was shot around 4:15 p.m. as a large crowd gathered in the parking lot of the apartment complex.
Police said people would often gather in that area to visit and play dice, but they are not sure if there was anything in particular on that day that led to the shooting. Police said they believe people in crowd might have witnessed something that might help them solve the man's killing and hope people will come forward with information.
What raises several questions about this incident is that police have not said why they believe the 21-year-old man they are looking for shot the victim. The victim's general fear that someone was trying to kill him really isn't enough to go on. That police are asking a crowd of people for help also indicates that, at this point, they may not have gathered much to help them catch the perpetrator.
If the 21-year-old chooses to hire a criminal defense attorney, that attorney will probably be able to identify weakensses in the police's case and use them to further his client's interests. Everyone, criminal defense attorneys included, wants to see justice done and criminals get caught, but no one wants that at a cost of punishing innocent people.
Source: The Dayton Daily News, "Suspect in fatal shooting identified," Oct. 7, 2011