Cold case: Youngstown man’s 2001 murder remains unsolved

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — It is not uncommon for people to drive themselves or others to the main campus of St. Elizabeth Health Center after they or someone they know has been shot.

That was the case on May 1, 2001, when a car that had been shot at rolled up to the emergency room with 24-year-old James Robinson in the back seat. He died the next day from his wounds.

The case remains unsolved.

Robinson had been shot in the head after someone fired several shots at a car he was riding in at about 9:05 p.m. on Logan Avenue.

Two other men who were in the front seat were unharmed.

Reports said the driver of the car told police he was driving south on Logan Avenue near Hubbard Road when a car pulled up next to his and someone in that car fired several shots.

The passenger said he heard seven or eight shots but neither the driver nor the passenger could see who was shooting. The driver told police he could hear glass breaking.

After the other car sped away, the driver said he noticed Robinson had been shot in the head so he drove straight to the emergency room.

Reports noted Robinson could not speak to police because of his condition.

Detectives responded to the hospital and also to the area where the driver said the shots were fired. A witness in a nearby business told investigators he heard four or five shots and then saw a car driving down the road with a man, later identified as Robinson, slumped over in the back seat.

Crime Lab Personnel collected four .45-caliber shell casings in the roadway on Logan Avenue and portions of three spent bullets from the car, including a spent slug on the floor of the passenger’s side, reports said. The car was towed for evidence.

This story is part of a series of cold cases that WKBN is examining.

Do you have a cold case that you’d like us to look into further? Submit a cold case to WKBN.

Anyone who has information on Robinson’s death can call the Detective Division at 330-742-8911 or CrimeStoppers Youngstown at 330-746-CLUE.

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