DAYTON, Ohio — Two men upset with a woman about a post on social media opened fire on a home with high-powered rifles, killing a 12-year-old girl who was sleeping inside, prosecutors say.
Antawan Benson, 23, and Javen Conner, 19, both of Dayton, each are charged with two counts of murder in the death of Isabella Carlos. They’re also charged with three counts of improperly discharging a firearm at or into a habitation, three counts of felonious assault (deadly weapon), one count of discharge of a firearm over a roadway and one count of aggravated menacing. All of the charges include firearm specifications, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office.
Prosecutors say Benson and Conner, both armed, approached a woman on Aug. 22 as she sat in a vehicle with another woman and children and confronted her about a social media post regarding the men’s cousin. Police were called and all left the scene, prosecutors say.
But prosecutors say that at 12:30 a.m. on Aug. 23, three homes were hit by gunfire. Benson and Conner are accused of using AK-47 and AR-15 rifles to fire at least 37 rounds at the homes. Carlos, a seventh-grader, died in her bedroom in the shooting, prosecutor Matt Heck Jr. said in a news conference shown by WDTN Channel 2.
“This cowardly shooting was tragic and senseless,” Heck said. “This young girl, with her entire life ahead of her, her entire future was snuffed out … a seventh-grader murdered while at home, murdered while asleep in her bed. Senseless. Horrible. Shocking.”
Benson, who was on probation, also is charged with two counts of having weapons while under disability, prosecutors say. Conner also was on probation, authorities say.
Both men are being held in jail without bond. They are scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.
