MANSFIELD, Ohio — A Richland County grand jury has returned a five-count indictment against an Akron man accused of killing another individual last month in Mansfield.
Forty-one-year-old William Carter is charged with two counts of murder as well as one count each of felonious assult, having weapons under disability, and tampering with evidence. Police say he is currently being held in the Summit County Jail on unrelated charges.
Authorities believe Carter shot the victim multiple times on Dunbilt Court during the early evening hours of April 30, and that person later died at the hospital. It was one of three Mansfield homicides that took place in the span of about a week, prompting the department to implement a special task force to investigate.
"We are hopeful that this arrest will not only allow the victim's family some relief but also, begin to help alleviate community fears as to the recent rash of gun-related incidents," the department, which has not released the murdered individual's name, said in a statement. "We ask that you respect the victim's family's privacy at this time."
According to court records, Carter has a criminal history that dates all the way back to 2004, having served multiple years behind bars for various drug, weapons, and evidence tampering charges. While on probation in Summit County, he was arrested again just two weeks ago, and a separate grand jury on Wednesday charged him with endangering children, drug possession, being a fugitive from justice, and improperly handing firearms in a motor vehicle. He remains incarcerated there on a $15,000 bond.
A court date for Carter in either county has not been set, and police are not sure when he will return to Mansfield to answer for the murder charges.