Police say a 28-year-old man surrendered in Meigs County after the attack near West Wilbeth Road.
AKRON, Ohio — A 47-year-old woman and her 12-year-old son were killed after a shooting Saturday night near West Wilbeth Road in Akron, where officers found their crashed vehicle partially on fire and later arrested a 28-year-old suspect, police said.
The case quickly became one of Akron’s most jarring weekend homicide investigations, leaving two people dead, a toddler alive inside the vehicle and detectives working across counties within hours to find the man they say carried out the shooting. Police identified the dead as Tania Mangual, 47, and her son, Jericho L. Mangual, 12. Officers later booked Brandon T. Casto, 28, on two counts of aggravated murder and two counts of felonious assault. Investigators have not publicly described a motive or explained Casto’s relationship, if any, to the family.
Police said dispatchers began receiving multiple 911 calls at about 8:10 p.m. Saturday about a shooting near 30 W. Wilbeth Road, close to Firestone Stadium on Akron’s south side. When officers arrived, they found a vehicle that had crashed into the tree line on Hemlock Street, just south of West Wilbeth Road. The vehicle was partially on fire. Inside, officers found Jericho suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene at about 8:34 p.m. Tania Mangual, who had been driving, also had been shot and was taken to Cleveland Clinic Akron General Medical Center, where she died at about 8:50 p.m. A 2-year-old boy, also inside the car, was not hurt and was taken to Akron Children’s Hospital as a precaution.
The first hours of the investigation moved quickly. Police said one of the callers was a 49-year-old woman who had fled the scene after she was shot. Detectives said she gave information that helped them identify Casto as the suspect. Officers then executed a search warrant at an apartment tied to him and reported finding multiple firearms, firearm accessories and a large collection of ammunition. Akron police have not said how many weapons were recovered, whether any have been matched to the shooting or whether the wounded woman’s case will lead to additional charges. They also have not said exactly where the gunfire began, how many rounds were fired or whether the victims were targeted inside the vehicle before it crashed.
The setting added to the shock. The shooting happened in an area better known to many residents for traffic, ballgames and neighborhood movement than for a deadly scene involving a burning car and two slain family members. By Sunday, the crash site had become a place of mourning. People who said they knew the family left candles and a white teddy bear near the tree line where the vehicle stopped. Burn marks and damaged brush remained visible. A nearby resident, Jackie Travis, described seeing the wrecked vehicle after officers arrived and said, “It was on fire underneath and the engine was on fire.” That brief account helped frame what neighbors encountered: not only a homicide scene, but the aftermath of a violent episode that spilled into a fiery crash.
Police Chief Brian Harding called the shooting “this senseless act of violence” and said the deaths of the mother and child had deeply affected the city. Harding said detectives worked quickly to develop leads, secure evidence and coordinate with the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office after learning Casto may have been trying to leave Akron. According to police, Casto later turned himself in in Meigs County, more than 100 miles away, and was taken to the Southeast Regional Jail in Nelsonville. The charges announced so far are two counts of aggravated murder and two counts of felonious assault. As of Monday, investigators were still examining the circumstances of the shooting, and police had not announced whether Casto had an attorney, whether he had made a court appearance or when prosecutors may present more details in court records.
Mayor Shammas Malik said he was heartbroken by the deaths and thankful that the youngest child in the car was not physically harmed. His statement reflected the wider response from city leaders, who praised the police and fire departments for their work at the scene while also confronting the emotional weight of a killing that involved a mother and one of her children. That combination of facts has made the case especially painful in Akron, where violent incidents involving children tend to draw strong public reaction. For investigators, the work now turns to forensics, witness interviews, ballistics and a fuller accounting of what happened in the minutes before the car left the roadway and struck the tree line.
The case stood Monday in the early but serious stage common to major homicide investigations: a suspect jailed, basic charges filed, a search warrant already served and many central questions still unanswered. Police know who was killed, who survived and who they say is responsible. They have not yet said why it happened. The next likely milestone is a court appearance for Casto and any additional case details that emerge from prosecutors or police as the investigation continues.
Author note: Last updated March 30, 2026.