Police arrested the 16-year-old family member in North Olmsted after tracking a vehicle that left the victim’s home.
LORAIN, Ohio — A 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder after a family member found 67-year-old Robert Lewis fatally shot in his bed at a Lorain home Saturday morning, police said.
Officers were called to a residence in the 2700 block of G Street at about 8 a.m. July 25. Police said Lewis had suffered an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Detectives responded to the home and began investigating the death as a homicide.
Investigators learned that the teenager, who is related to Lewis, had stayed at the residence overnight while his parents were away, according to police. Authorities have not released the boy’s name because he is a juvenile.
A witness told investigators that the teenager had been seen driving away from the home in Lewis’ vehicle during the early morning hours. Lorain police then used automated license plate-reading cameras to search for the vehicle.
Police said the camera network helped officers determine within about 30 minutes that the vehicle and teenager were in North Olmsted, roughly 20 miles east of Lorain. North Olmsted police located the boy and took him into custody without further incident.
Investigators recovered a firearm they believe was used in the shooting. Police said they had found no indication that an argument or physical confrontation occurred before Lewis was killed. Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive or said what evidence led them to file the murder charge.
The charge is an allegation, and the teenager has not been found guilty. He was being held at the Lorain County Juvenile Detention Center pending a court appearance. Officials had not announced the date or time of that proceeding.
Douglas Meadows, a neighbor, described Lewis as a kind person and said residents were struggling to understand his death. Meadows said he felt sympathy for the entire family as it dealt with both the killing and the teenager’s arrest.
Lorain police thanked North Olmsted officers and other regional partners for helping locate and arrest the teenager. Detectives continued to investigate the circumstances surrounding Lewis’ death and asked anyone with relevant information to contact the department’s Criminal Investigations Bureau.
Author note: Last updated July 27, 2026.