Milenna Eileen Lopez, 24, of Elyria, Ohio, was fatally shot on January 6, 2022 while sitting in her vehicle in the parking lot of the McDonald’s where she worked as a manager in Sheffield Village. Her ex-boyfriend, James Lavern Kimbrough III, fired five rounds; one bullet struck her arm as she tried to defend herself, and she lost consciousness and died shortly after the attack. The shooting followed a history of a toxic relationship between Lopez and Kimbrough; they had two children together.

In the days before the murder Kimbrough had broken into Lopez’s home and stolen all of her shoes, then arranged a meeting at the restaurant and did not return the items but brought a gun instead. Kimbrough fled after the shooting and was captured 101 days later in April 2022. Lopez was a mother of four and her family remembered her as a fierce protector with a beautiful smile and a strong work ethic.

Does anyone have information about Milenna’s life in Elyria or the relationship dynamics that might help explain how this escalated?