Tania Mangual and 12-year-old son Jericho L. Mangual shot at while driving car in Akron, Ohio by Brandon T. Casto. Boy is found dead inside car while mom dies after fleeing scene while still being shot at. No known motive.
An Ohio man accused of shooting and killing an Akron mother and her 12-year-old son as they rode in their car over the weekend has surrendered to authorities.
Brandon T. Casto, 28, was taken into custody less than 24 hours after shooting and killing Tania Mangual, 49, and her son Jericho L. Mangual near Firestone Stadium, Saturday night.
Authorities were initially called following reports of gunfire at 30 West Wilbeth Road, across from Firestone Stadium near Firestone’s corporate campus, Akron Police Lt. Michael Murphy told press.
Mom fleeing scene while being shot at calls 911
Jericho was pronounced dead at the scene inside a car that had crashed into a tree and was partially on fire; Tania died later at Cleveland Clinic Akron General Medical Center.
Police say they received multiple 911 calls reporting the shooting at about 8:10 p.m., including from a 49-year-old woman who ran from the scene as Casto shot at her, Cleveland.com reported.
When officers arrived, they found a vehicle had crashed into a tree and caught fire on Hemlock Street, just south of West Wilbeth Road. Jericho was found dead from a gunshot wound in the back seat of the vehicle.
Tania was taken to Cleveland Clinic Akron General Hospital but died of her wounds. Her 2-year-old son also was in the back seat of the vehicle but was not injured. He was taken to the hospital as a precaution according to police.
Cache of guns and firearms found at suspect’s Akron home
Prior to his surrender, detectives executed a search warrant at an apartment connected to Casto where they recovered multiple guns, firearm accessories and a ‘large collection of ammunition,’ WKYC reported.
According to police, Casto had contacted friends and indicated that he intended to flee Akron. Detectives worked with the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office in southeast Ohio near the West Virginia border, where Casto later turned himself in.
Casto is being held in the Southeast Ohio Regional Jail on two counts of aggravated murder and two counts of felonious assault, according to jail records. He was jailed after surrendering at the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office.
The slaying has left police and city leaders shaken as authorities now seek to understand what led to the man targeting the mother and her two children.
‘This senseless act of violence left a mother and her 12-year-old son dead and has deeply impacted our community,’ Akron Police Chief Brian Harding said in a statement. ‘Tragedies like this extend far beyond those directly involved and affect people throughout Akron.
‘These types of calls are amongst the most difficult our officers face. I commend our officers for their coordinated response and dedication which contributed to quickly identifying the suspect.’
No known motive to gun violence
‘I am heartbroken by the tragic loss of a 47-year-old woman and her 12-year-old son in this devastating act of violence,’ Akron Mayor Shammas Maliky said in a statement. ‘My thoughts are with their loved ones during this unimaginable time and I am grateful the infant present was not physically harmed.’
Police say they are continuing to investigate the circumstances that led to the shooting. No information on a motive has been released.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the Akron Police Department Detective Bureau at 330-375-2490 or 330-375-2Tip.
A GoFundme fundraiser to assist in burial and funeral costs on behalf of the mother and her son has since been launched.
