Man charged in YSU attack involved in shooting incident earlier this month

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – A man who police said told them that he accidentally fired an AR-15 during a “To Catch a Predator” type of sex sting is now facing charges for allegedly firing a pellet gun at Youngstown State University students.

Curtis Carver, 18, turned himself in on a warrant for an assault charge to Youngstown State University Police on Wednesday.

According to a YSU Police report, he was charged in connection to an incident near the water fountain near Kilcawley Center on September 21.

The report states that he yelled, “Go back to your country” after shooting a group of students with a pellet gun.

One of the students was hit on the wrist, and one was hit on the shoulder, according to a police report. Two other students who were with the group were not hit.

Following the attack, the suspect rode off on a bicycle, and police released a photo of the suspect last month in the hope of leading to his identification.

Carver is also facing charges for an incident in the city of Youngstown on Oct. 2.

According to a Youngstown police report, police were sent to an area of Tod Lane for a report of gunfire. Officers checked the area but did not find any shell casings or a shooting victim, according to a police report.

While there, Carver called 911 to report that he tried meeting a man in Crandall Park who he believed to be a sexual predator.

Carver told police that he had been talking to a man from Trumbull County through a social media platform, and during those discussions, Carver identified himself as a 17-year-old boy. He said he also lied to the man and told him that he had a 15-year-old brother, and he said the man asked him to send him nude photographs and requested a meeting with him and his imaginary brother.

Carver said he agreed to meet the man at Crandall Park after sending him a nude photograph he found of someone online. He said he took his AR-15 with him and hid it in a trash can.

Carver said the man showed up and asked him to perform a sex act at which time he grabbed the AR-15 from the trash can and confronted him with it.

Carver said he chased the man in attempts to hold him until officers could arrive, but admitted that he accidentally fired his rifle during the chase.

Police confiscated the weapon, and Carver was charged with discharging a firearm in city limits.

He was arraigned on that charge on Oct. 3, and a pretrial hearing in the case is set for 10:45 a.m. in Youngstown Municipal Court.

He is scheduled to appear in court this afternoon for his arraignment on the charges related to the incident at YSU.

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