Deborah Baker was a 53-year-old Black mother living in Toledo, Ohio. On the evening of November 20, 2023, a fatal shooting occurred inside the family’s home in the 2200 block of Warren Street. First responders found Deborah with at least one gunshot wound and she was taken to a hospital, where she later died. The Lucas County Coroner’s Office ruled the manner of death a homicide, listing the cause as a gunshot wound to the chest.

A police affidavit says Deborah’s 18-year-old son, Joshua Brown, was at home and heard someone walking up the stairs. He reportedly grabbed a handgun that had been on his lap, stepped into the hallway and fired a single shot that struck his mother. Officers arrested Brown at the scene and charged him with reckless homicide; affidavits indicate he may have mistaken his mother for an intruder.

A neighbor who had known the family for at least 15 years described them as good people and called the shooting a shock. Does anyone in Toledo have information about that night or knew Deborah and her family?