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STEUBENVILLE - A resident tired of gun violence in the city is putting up a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the Aug. 9 murder of Mytia Barker.
Barker, 24, a Steubenville native, was in town for a memorial vigil when she was gunned down near the intersection of Claire Avenue and Pine Street.
An academic and sports standout at Big Red and the school's 2014 homecoming queen, she'd graduated from Youngstown State University in 2019 with a degree in criminal science and was preparing to enter law school at the University of Akron.
Instead, she'll be buried today at Fort Steuben Burial Estates.
Sixth Ward Councilman Bob Villamagna said the individual putting up the reward money, a personal friend, is insisting on anonymity.
"My friend said, 'Bob, this violence has got to stop -- it's got to. And the only way to stop it is if they see the citizens are involved,'" Villamagna said. "My friend is hoping the money will motivate somebody in the community to come forward."
Anyone with information about Barker's killers should call the Steubenville Police Department's detective division, 740-282-5353.
"I guarantee you, there's somebody in the city of Steubenville who has information about this homicide, they just have to come forward," he said.
Barker's killing was the first of several shooting incidents recorded in a three-hour span Aug. 9.
A 31-year-old man, O'Brian Moore, 434 S. Sixth St., was shot in the leg during the same incident. Less than an hour later, 22-year-old Marquelle McClung, 730 N. Seventh St., Apt 210, was shot in the leg while and she and several other individuals were walking in the 400 block of South Sixth Street en route to Club 106. Two hours later, police said someone drove past Club 106 at Sixth and South streets "and started shooting." No one was injured, but vehicles were caught in the crossfire.
Police Chief Bill McCafferty and City Manager Jim Mavromatis could not be reached for comment.