Denzel Herron

Denzel Herron, a 30-year-old Black man from North Toledo, was remembered by a loved one as a "Very Good Hearted Young Man." Known to friends and family as "Booka" or "Bowlegs," he had attended Woodward High School.

In the early hours of Sunday, November 26, 2023, a dispute at an after-hours club in south Toledo turned fatal. Around 3:45 a.m., police officers responded to a shooting at the Party Time Club, located at the corner of Hill Avenue and South Reynolds Road. They arrived to find Mr. Herron suffering from a gunshot wound. He was rushed to the University of Toledo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The Lucas County coroner later confirmed that Mr. Herron died from a single gunshot wound to the chest. His death was recorded as the 37th homicide in the city that year.

The investigation into Mr. Herron's death led police to two suspects. In 2024, authorities arrested Adrian Warren and William Kynard in separate instances. Both men were originally charged with murder and felonious assault in connection with the shooting that took place during the dispute.

The case was resolved without a trial after both men accepted plea deals. On January 10, 2024, Warren and Kynard each pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter. On January 31, 2024, Judge Michael Goulding sentenced both men to serve five to seven-and-a-half years in prison for their roles in Mr. Herron's death. The case was closed with their convictions and sentencing in January 2024.