CANTON − City police are looking for a murder suspect.
Police on May 1 said they have obtained felony warrants for a 33-year-old man they believe took part in the April 19 shooting death of Richard J. Staats in a Tuscarawas Street W apartment.
In a statement, the police department identified the suspect as Ashaad D. Carlisle, 33, of 2550 Kirby Ave. NE. Police allege that Carlisle committed aggravated murder and the felony of discharging firearms near a prohibited premises.
On April 19 shortly around 4:23 a.m., police said they discovered Staats, 51, had been shot in the head. Officers said Staats was in the bedroom of an apartment at 3115 Tuscarawas St. W, south of the Stark County Fairgrounds.
A 30-year-old woman in the bedroom had called 911 to report the shooting. Investigators found a pellet gun at the scene and later said that at least one bullet went through the bedroom window of the apartment. Paramedics rushed Staats to Aultman Hospital, which is just blocks away. Staats died from his injuries in Aultman’s intensive care unit on April 20.
A neighbor told The Repository that she heard at least eight gunshots the morning of April 19.
As of the afternoon of May 1, the new charges, criminal complaints and any information released by the police or prosecutors on the evidence they had against Carlisle had not yet appeared in online court records.
According to Staats’ obituary, Staats was a drywaller who left behind several children, at least seven grandchildren, his parents, his stepfather and two brothers.
Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton police searching for murder suspect after apartment shooting
Reporting by Robert Wang, Canton Repository / The Repository
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