Butler City police obtain warrant for shooting suspect
Butler City police obtained a warrant for the arrest of a Youngstown, Ohio, man for the Feb. 5 shooting that left a city man with a shoulder injury.
Police said they have a warrant for Michael Collins III, 27, charging him with felony charges of attempted homicide, burglary, aggravated assault, convicted persons not to possess a firearm and criminal trespass, and a misdemeanor charge of recklessly endangering another person.
The shooting took place at 2:23 a.m. in the 400 block of West New Castle Street.
According to police, the victim, who has been released from the hospital, said that he and a man he knows only as “Freddy” got into an argument inside the residence, and Freddy raised the pistol he was holding and shot him.
An informant told police that a drug dealer whose street name is Fred or Freddy, who might be from Ohio, was in the city selling cocaine and fentanyl, police said in an affidavit.
Working with the Youngstown Police Department, city police identified Collins as a suspect, and the victim identified Collins as the shooter from an array of photos, according to the affidavit.
Police said Collins’ history includes a conviction on a rape charge in 2014 in Ohio.
Police ask anyone with information about Collins’ to contact Butler County 911 or visit the Butler City police website at butlercitypd.org for more contact information. Lead investigator Lt. Chad Rensel can be reached at CRensel@butlercitypd.com.
