Azhiek Emon Bennett, a 22-year-old Black man known to friends and family as "Yieky," was a beloved father, son, and brother from Warren, Ohio. Born in Warren on June 29, 1996, he was remembered for his humorous, loving, and giving personality. Friends said he was the type of person who would give the shirt off his back to help someone, even a stranger. A skilled auto mechanic, Azhiek worked alongside his father at B & M Automotive, a job he enjoyed. The center of his world was his young daughter, A'Zhiek Emoni Bennett. His father, Michael Salsgiver, noted that Azhiek lived and worked with him every day.
The night of Wednesday, February 6, 2019, was the last time his family would see him alive. Just 15 minutes after leaving his father, Azhiek was walking across a parking lot on South Feederle Drive SE. He was on his way to the apartment where his girlfriend and their 4-month-old daughter lived.
At approximately 10:09 p.m., a friend who lived nearby saw Azhiek walking and then heard a succession of gunshots. Neighbors reported hearing between three and five shots ring out in the night air.
The friend, Joe Bailey, looked outside and saw Azhiek sprawled on the ground near an apartment in the 2200 block of South Feederle Drive SE. Bailey and another friend rushed to his side, finding him gasping for air. They tried to keep him alive until paramedics and police arrived. When emergency responders reached the scene, they transported Azhiek to Trumbull Regional Medical Center, but his injuries were too severe. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The Warren Police Department immediately launched a homicide investigation into Azhiek's death, which marked the city's second homicide of 2019. The Trumbull County Coroner's Office ruled the death a homicide caused by multiple gunshot wounds, a finding confirmed by an autopsy conducted by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office. Investigators spoke with witnesses, but no one reported seeing a car speeding away or a person fleeing the scene.
In the days following the shooting, Azhiek's family was left in shock and grief. "He was with me about 15 minutes before he was shot," his father told a local newspaper, adding that he couldn't imagine who would want to harm his son. The community mourned the loss of a young man known for his kindness and ability to make people laugh. His loved ones remembered a man with a "heart so full of love you could always count on."
A funeral service was held at the Sterling-McCullough Williams Funeral Chapel, where family and friends gathered to say their final goodbyes. Azhiek was laid to rest in Meadow Brook Memorial Park Cemetery. He left behind his daughter, his parents, Annetta Marie Bennett and Michael Allen Salsgiver, and numerous brothers and sisters. As of February 2019, the Warren Police Department had not publicly identified any suspects or made any arrests in connection with the murder. The investigation into the fatal shooting of Azhiek Bennett remains open.
