Steven Troyer

Steven Q. Troyer, a 55-year-old White man, was a husband and father living in Canton, Ohio. On the morning of March 10, 2023, his life was cut short in a sudden act of violence outside his own home.

That morning, Mr. Troyer and his son, Steven A. Troyer, were out shopping when they received a call from Mr. Troyer’s wife, Glenda. She told them someone was tampering with a Ford Taurus parked in front of their house in the 1300 block of Greenfield Avenue Southwest. Father and son drove to the scene, where they confronted a man and asked him to leave. Instead of leaving, the man, later identified as Damon A. Mitchell, pulled out a gun. As Mr. Troyer sat in the driver’s seat of his truck, Mitchell shot him in the face. He then opened fire on Mr. Troyer's son, who managed to flee in a car and was not injured.

Canton police were dispatched to the scene for a shooting at approximately 10:44 a.m. Officers arrived to find Steven Troyer unresponsive in his running vehicle, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Paramedics transported him to Aultman Hospital, but he was pronounced dead at 11:13 a.m.

The investigation quickly led to a suspect. Damon A. Mitchell, a resident of Toledo, was arrested in Bucyrus after leading the Ohio State Highway Patrol on a high-speed chase. He was subsequently charged in connection with the killing.

Mitchell’s trial took place in Stark County Common Pleas Court. Prosecutors presented evidence showing that a total of 13 shots were fired during the incident. In March 2024, after deliberating for less than three hours, a jury found Damon Mitchell guilty of murder, felonious assault for firing at Mr. Troyer’s son, and a related firearm charge.

A judge sentenced Mitchell to life in prison, with eligibility for parole after serving 38 to 43 years. Though he maintained his innocence, the sentence was affirmed. The case saw a final court action in December 2024, when Mitchell was resentenced to the same prison term to correct a clerical error in the original court filing.