Background: The home on the 500 block of Miles Avenue in Akron, Ohio, where the shooting occurred (WOIO/YouTube). Inset: Gregory Tillman (Summit County Jail).
In a tragic incident in northern Ohio, a man is alleged to have fatally shot and stabbed his girlfriend before also attacking her two sons, authorities report.
Gregory Tillman, 38, is currently facing multiple charges, including murder, assault, illegal possession of a firearm, domestic violence, and vandalism, according to Summit County jail records examined by Law&Crime. These allegations are linked to an event that occurred over the weekend.
Rebecca Guthrie, 44, was at her residence on the 500 block of Miles Avenue in Akron with her two sons and Tillman. As Friday night transitioned into Saturday morning, an argument erupted between the couple, as recounted by one of her sons.
“I heard my mother and her boyfriend arguing, but they argue all the time,” shared 18-year-old Marquis Terrell with Cleveland-based CBS affiliate WOIO. “You know, I didn’t think it was anything crazy.”
However, the argument escalated into violence.
“I heard gunshots, I heard yelling and screaming, she was yelling ‘stop’ and everything,” Terrell continued. “And then he ran upstairs and shot my brother.”
The bullet grazed the 25-year-old son’s head, authorities said. Then, Tillman allegedly turned the gun on Terrell.
“He tried to point the gun at me and shoot me, but it clicked twice. And then he tried to shoot my brother,” Terrell went on. “My brother wrestled the gun out of his hand, I tried picking up the gun and shoot him with it; it didn’t do anything so he ran, he fled.”
Terrell called 911 and reported what was happening to law enforcement.
“I need help, I need help,” he said. “My mom’s boyfriend … just shot, he shot my brother.”
At about 2:10 a.m. on Saturday, Akron police officers arrived at the home and “discovered the victim lying on the living room floor with multiple stab wounds and a gunshot wound,” which was reportedly to the head. She was pronounced dead about 20 minutes later, the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office said.
Officers found Tillman down the street a short time later. He was booked into the Summit County Jail on no bond. The injured son was in the hospital recovering from his injury as of Monday, WOIO reported.
