Shooting at Sharon Dollar General
Jun. 15—SHARON — Police filed charges Wednesday against two men in connection with a shooting Tuesday night at Dollar General in Sharon.
According to a criminal complaint, two Youngstown men exchanged gunfire in the parking lot, with their children, ages 5 and 1, nearby. One of the men was the ex-boyfriend of a woman who was at the store with her current boyfriend, who was shot several times in his legs. No one else was injured.
Jordan Avery Burnett, 30, the ex-boyfriend, is charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, risking a catastrophe, discharging a firearm into an occupied structure, endangering the welfare of children, reckless endangerment, carrying a firearm without a license and robbery.
The current boyfriend, Edward Jermaine Thomas, 38, Youngstown, is charged with aggravated assault, prohibited possession of a firearm, carrying a firearm without a license, discharging a firearm into an occupied structure, endangering the welfare of children, assault, reckless endangerment and tampering with evidence.
Police were called at 9:37 p.m. to the store at 871 E. State St. for a report of a man shot in the parking lot.
The shooters were no longer there, but patrolmen found evidence of an apparent exchange of gunfire, police Chief Edward H. Stabile said in a statement.
Shortly after police arrived, an ambulance was dispatched to a Sharon residence for Thomas. He was taken to a local trauma center and treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Stabile said Burnett is still at large as of Wednesday afternoon.
After speaking with the woman involved, police said she told them she went to the store with her boyfriend, Thomas.
When Thomas went into the store with his 5-year-old daughter, Burnett got into her vehicle, punched her in the face and stole her cell phone.
When Thomas came out of the store, he got into an argument with Burnett, and the woman heard Burnett ask for someone to hand him a gun.
The woman then ran into the store to ask them to call 911 and when she came back out, she saw Burnett and Thomas shooting at each other. Burnett's 1-year-old child was in the woman's vehicle when gunfire was exchanged.
Sharon police were able to view the incident on video surveillance from the Dollar General store.
Sharon police were assisted by Farrell police, Sharon firefighters and the Mercer County district attorney's office.
Follow Melissa Klaric on twitter @HeraldKlaric or email her at mklaric@sharonherald.com