A robbery planned by five Ohio teenagers went awry when the target defended himself with a gun, killing one teen and leading to the arrest of the others for the death, authorities said.
An 18-year-old man, a 17-year-old girl and two 16-year-old boys were arrested Tuesday in connection with the death of Mason Trudics, 18, of Centerville, Warren County Chief Deputy Barry Riley said in a statement.
Investigators determined the target was called Friday to a home in Turtlecreek Township, south of Dayton, where he was “met with a baseball bat and a firearm.” They didn’t specify who was there but said gunfire erupted when the target reportedly defended himself, killing Trudics and injuring one of the 16-year-old suspects.
The target wasn’t publicly identified and hasn’t been charged.
The oldest person arrested, 18-year-old Dakota Cox, of Kettering, remained in jail Wednesday on murder and aggravated robbery charges, according to Warren County Jail records. Court records didn’t show whether Cox had a lawyer.
The girl from Lebanon and one of the younger teen boys from Centerville were held in a juvenile detention center. They faced similar charges Wednesday, and a prosecutor asked that they be tried as adults, WDTN-TV reported.
The Associated Press generally doesn’t identify juveniles charged with crimes.
Investigators called it is a complex case and said they hadn’t ruled out additional arrests.
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