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'Disrespect' emerges as motive for fatal interstate shooting
That overused, almost indefinable notion of disrespect -- which seems to fuel so many personal disputes that it has evolved into a modern-day excuse for violence -- appears to be at the root of a fatal shooting incident in Putnam County.
That's what allegedly spawned the fatal end result, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the May 8 shooting of Mario Edwards, 33, Columbus, Ohio.
Disrespect has thus emerged as the motive behind an Ohio teenager allegedly becoming so infuriated by arguing and fighting with his uncle that he believed he had no recourse but to shoot him as they rode together in the backseat of a minivan en route St. Louis along Interstate 70.
Stefon R. Woods, 21, also of Columbus, Ohio, -- the driver of the car in which Edwards was shot as it rolled along westbound last Sunday night -- told investigators the victim and his nephew, Markus Yeanay, 18, had been "arguing about being disrespected by one another."
Woods -- who has been charged with aiding a criminal and possession of cocaine in the case -- also told authorities that Yeanay and Edwards had been "punching and yelling at each other" off and on in the backseat of the vehicle from the time the group had left Columbus, Ohio, earlier that day.
At one point during the alleged argument, Woods reported Yeanay telling his uncle "that he would kill him," the probable cause affidavit states.
However, the fighting and arguing then appeared to have settled down, Woods advised, until the 2016 Kia Sedona in which they were riding reached the outskirts of Cloverdale in Putnam County.
Woods said it was then that he heard three gunshots and realized Edwards had been shot.
During his infamous courtroom outburst Wednesday afternoon, Yeanay kept hollering that he had been fighting for his life. However, there is no indication in either the police report or probable cause affidavit that the victim had any kind of weapon.
Front-seat passenger Brenda Knight, the victim's mother, told authorities that during a pause in the fighting Yeanay produced a handgun from beneath the rear seat and fired three or four rounds.
According to the police report, Edwards was struck by two bullets, while another round shattered a rear window of the vehicle. Yeanay allegedly then tossed the gun out through the broken glass. There has been no report of the gun being found.
During his interview with investigators, Yeanay reported that Edwards had been drinking and admitted that he had "smoked some marijuana," the probable cause affidavit states.
The fighting, the shooting suspect said, was both verbal and physical and reached a point where he "could no longer take Mario Edwards hitting him," and pulled his gun out from beneath the rear seat and fired at his uncle from across the backseat.
It was after that fatal decision that the drama made its way to Putnam County Hospital with Edwards and his mother being dropped off at the emergency room entrance and Woods driving away with Yeanay in the rental car.
Edwards succumbed to his wounds a short time later, while Woods and Yeanay ended up in the Walmart parking lot on Greencastle's East Side where their vehicle was spotted by local police officers.
Both Woods and Yeanay were discovered to be in possession of cocaine as they were being booked into the Putnam County Jail sometime after 2 a.m. Monday.
The probable cause affidavit notes that "a small plastic bag containing six smaller bags that contained a white substance were found inside of Woods' left sock."
Meanwhile, "a small plastic baggie containing a white substance was located inside the front of Yeanay's pants," court records indicate.
Both substances tested positive for cocaine.
Both Yeanay and Woods made initial appearances Wednesday in Putnam Superior Court with Judge Denny Bridges setting bond at $100,000 cash-only for Yeanay, who is charged with voluntary manslaughter, possession of cocaine and carrying a handgun without a license. Bond for Woods was set at $20,000 cash-only.