Woman among 3 dead in car ruled suicide

WARREN — A woman who was one of three people shot to death Aug. 3 inside a vehicle that crashed into a home on the city’s northwest side killed herself, according to a ruling from the county coroner.

Trumbull County Coroner Humphrey Germaniuk ruled Brandy Joseph, 37, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, after performing an autopsy last Tuesday.

Germaniuk ruled the death of De’Vonte L. West, 24, a homicide. West died of multiple gunshot wounds, the report states. An autopsy for Ju’Wantae Harbin, 18, had not been completed by a Cuyahoga County Medical examiner. Harbin died later after he was taken to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital.

A spokeswoman for the Mahoning County coroner’s office said all autopsies in Youngstown are being performed in Cleveland, and reports have been running weeks behind schedule.

A Warren police report said Joseph and West had died while Harbin was still breathing when they were found in the Cadillac that had come to rest after striking a house at Southern Boulevard and Solar Drive NW.

All three dead were from Warren.

Warren police detectives did not return calls Thursday about their investigation.

The report states the three victims were in a car that ran off the road and struck the side of a house about 7 p.m. It’s believed all of the shots were made from inside the car.

Investigators say witnesses reported hearing gunshots from inside the car both before and after it hit the house.

According to Trumbull County 911 reports, neighbors on Southern Boulevard reported hearing five or six shots. The report states three people ran over to help at the time of crash of a white Cadillac, but then they heard the gunshots and ran back inside their homes.

The 911 report also states the car took down some power lines.