Jamycol Harris, 19, was shot Saturday and died that same night at Good Samaritan Hospital. He was shot at 3708 Evansville Ave., which is rented by Swain’s daughter, Gwen Swain. Her son, Stephon Swain, also lives at the Evansville Avenue address and is being sought by deputies on murder, felonious assault and weapons charges. The charges were filed Monday.
Montgomery County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Scott Landis said deputies believe Stephon Swain is the shooter involved in Harris’ murder. “He is considered armed and dangerous,” Landis said. In addition to deputies, U.S. Marshals also are involved in the manhunt.
Landis said Harris was shot multiple times during altercation outside the Evansville address.
Three of Jessie Swain’s children said their mother was almost sleep in her bed when Sunday’s shooting occurred.
Gerald Swain said he and his sister, Gwen, were in the living room when bullets started flying through the Jessie Swain’s wood frame two-story house. They both got down on the floor, but their mother wasn’t able to move fast enough.
“I’m shot,” Jessie Swain said, according to Gerald Swain.
Dewell Swain, another brother, was on a couch in room next to the living room when a bullet went through the wooden paneling on the wall behind the couch.
“If I had of been lying the other way, I would have been hit,” he said.
Dewell Swain said he then ran upstairs to call 911.
The shooting left 23 bullet holes in the house, including one that went through a TV in Jessie Swain’s bedroom. The family believes that the bullets came from an assault-style rifle.
There was also a white truck left with the engine running that was abandoned near the house right after the shooting occurred, said Jeffrey Swain, another of Jessie Swain’s sons. Police took the truck in custody, along with two vehicles belonging to family members that had their windows shot out.
“My mama had to get hurt by all this stuff,” Jeffrey Swain said while fighting back tears.
Police believe Jessie Swain was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Police did not believe Jessie Swain was the target of the retaliation.
Jessie Swain, a native of Birmingham, Ala., had lived at the South Ardmore address for at least 10 years, according to her family. She purchased the house in 2007. She was a mother of four sons and four daughters, and had numerous grandchildren.
“She believed in helping people,” Jeffrey Swain said of his mother, who was a member of Greater Works Tabernacle Church.
According to court records, Stephon Swain was sentenced in November to five years community control after pleading guilty to a felony weapons charge of having a loaded weapon in his car,
Harris was stopped by sheriff’s deputies twice last summer. Each time the deputies confiscated large amounts of cash. According to court records, Harris failed to appear at hearings to determine whether the cash was the result of criminal enterprises.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2290 or dpage@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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