SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP — A 16-year-old boy was charged with murder Tuesday, accused of stabbing another teenage boy to death near Lexington-Ontario Road, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Office.
Brodie Raedyn Gibson was arrested at the scene, according to Maj. Jim Sweat, RCSO chief deputy.
“Following consultation with the Richland County Prosecutor’s Office, Gibson was charged with murder and taken to the Richland County Juvenile Detention Center,” Sweat said Tuesday.
The victim was identified as Elias Uzuoff, 16, according to the Richland County Coroner’s Office chief investigator Bob Ball, who said the victim sustained multiple stab wounds.
Deputies responded to a report of a stabbing at 1040 Lexington-Ontario Road at approximately 12:29 a.m.
Officers found a male juvenile suffering from multiple stab wounds, which proved to be fatal.
First responders initiated life-saving measures before the Springfield Township Fire Department transported the victim to OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital, where he died from his injuries, according to Sweat.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation Crime Scene Unit assisted at the scene. The investigation remains ongoing, according to Sweat.
RCSO Deputy David Pfarr, in his written narrative report, said he was advised while enroute to the scene that the victim was unresponsive and the suspect was still there, wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt.
“Upon my arrival, I observed a red in color vehicle attempting to pull out of the driveway, as well as three individuals standing in the yard,” Pfarr said. “I attempted to ascertain who was inside of the vehicle, which was attempting to leave, and the male driver stated that his friend was over in the yard and frantically requested that I help him.
“I proceeded to go to the victim who was laying on his back and appeared pale and unresponsive. At this point in time, I asked where the suspect was and they pointed to a male who was standing near my patrol vehicle.
“I approached (Gibson), checked him for weapons, and then placed him into handcuffs. The male stated he had been stabbed, as well, and stated it was his hand. I did not observe any large amounts of blood coming from the suspect, other than a bloody rag which was covering his hand.
“This male was detained and placed into the rear of my patrol vehicle,” Pfarr said.
The deputy said EMS arrived on the scene, provided assistance to the teenage male victim and then took him to the hospital.
Pfarr said he took photographs of the front yard where the victim was found, as well as photographs of the front door, which had a large amount of blood on the glass.
He then began to interview two witnesses —a 44-year-old woman and her 15-year-old daughter.
“(The adult) stated that she had been sleeping and was woken up because (the suspect) had called her, speaking rapidly, asking to come over because there was something wrong with his vehicle and he felt unsafe,” the deputy wrote in his narrative.
It appears Gibson is her daughter’s ex-boyfriend.
She told the deputy she could hear (Gibson’s) vehicle outside and she went to the garage to ensure the door was locked. She informed Gibson that he was not welcome at her
home and he needed to leave.
The witness said Gibson then called her again and stated that she needed to let him inside because there was a man in her house.
She hung up the phone and went to speak with her daughter and asked her if there was anyone down in her room. The teenage girl appeared deceptive, according to the mother, and at this point Gibson was banging at the back door, wanting into the home.
She told Pfarr that’s when the victim appeared and made comments about wanting to fight Gibson. According to the deputy’s report, Gibson is the girl’s ex-boyfriend and the victim was her current boyfriend, whom she had snuck into the house.
Pfarr said the mother told Gibson to leave and she told the victim not to fight with anyone. She said it was around that time that Gibson must have gained entry from the basement and he came up the stairs and started to fight with the victim.
“(The woman) stated that she did not see any weapons, however, (the victim) got hit and there was a lot of blood. She stated that she attempted to break up the physical altercation, and (the victim) went toward the front door and she stated that she did not know which way Gibson went,” Pfarr wrote.
She said about two minutes later, Gibson was banging on the front door, requesting to go to the hospital because he was bleeding and was going to die. She said that she grabbed her keys and when she went out to her vehicle, her daughter was out in the front yard, yelling for help, at which point they dialed 9-1-1.
Later at the hospital, where Gibson was taken for treatment for a cut to his hand, the suspect told deputies he was injured in self defense. He also told deputies he didn’t know where the knife could be located.
No knife had been found by the time the the RCSO filed its reports Tuesday.
After Gibson’s hand was stitched up, he was taken into custody and placed in the county juvenile detention facility.
It’s likely the teen will appear before Richland County Juvenile Court Judge Steve McKinley.