James Cornelius Merchant, 28, of Youngstown, Ohio, was found dead in a car parked in the driveway of a North Side home on Alameda Avenue on August 9, 2023. Police arrived about 8:49 a.m. and discovered Merchant slumped over the center console with a shattered driver’s side window. A black handgun was beside him and a shell casing was outside the vehicle near the driver’s side.

A woman at the residence told officers she and Merchant had been arguing and that he had sent her threatening text messages shortly before the incident. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s autopsy reclassified the death as a homicide.

Merchant, known as Trip or Trip Loco, was a 2013 East High School graduate who enjoyed music and rapping and played on three NEOFFL championship football teams. He is survived by three children: Javion, JayManie, and JayCeon.

Did anyone in Youngstown see or hear anything on the morning of August 9, 2023, that might help investigators?