William Axel IV was 20 when he was killed in a drive-by shooting on March 2, 2018, in West Toledo. He was sitting in a car near Fern and Reen drives when someone fired; a friend drove him to St. Anne’s Hospital but he died of his injuries there.

Authorities arrested 18-year-old Eliakim Yates of Toledo and charged him with murder. Prosecutors say Yates used a sawed-off shotgun and struck Axel in the neck, causing an immediate fatal wound. Court hearings included statements that Yates had been bullied by Axel at Whitmer High School, a claim Axel’s mother disputed and said her son graduated from Erie Mason High School. Yates entered an Alford plea; Judge James Bates found him guilty and imposed life with parole eligibility after 16 years, noting the problem of unnecessary gun violence among youth.

A 17-year-old, Kevin Dazell, was in the back seat during the shooting and returned fire, striking Yates in the leg and arm. Dazell pleaded guilty to felonious assault and received a minimum three-year term with the Department of Youth Services.

Did anyone in West Toledo witness the car or the shooting near Fern and Reen drives that night?