Lorain, Ohio — Donte Parker, the 24-year-old man apprehended in Elyria after fleeing police for months, is now facing new charges in the murder of a Lorain man last year.
The Lorain Police Department announced on Tuesday that Parker had been arrested for the 2024 shooting death of Leonard McCall. Parker is charged with aggravated murder, felonious assault, and aggravated burglary.
Parker was arraigned in Lorain Municipal Court, and his bond was set at $2 million. A pretrial hearing has been scheduled for September 2.
CASE HISTORY
On November 25, 2024, Lorain police responded to the 400 block of West 14th Street for a report of a man shot. According to police, McCall was found with multiple gunshot wounds and pronounced dead at the scene.
“The investigation determined that this incident was a targeted home invasion, during which the suspect fired shots at two residents, fatally striking Mr. McCall,” Lorain police said in a statement Tuesday.
Lorain police detectives identified Parker as the suspect in McCall’s death “following a thorough and diligent investigation”.
According to Lorain police, this investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information on Leonard McCall’s shooting is encouraged to contact the LPD Detective Bureau at 440-204-2105.
ELYRIA CASE BACKGROUND
Elyria police say they responded to a welfare check request at an apartment in the 200 block of Washington Avenue on Monday evening, February 3.
According to officials, while officers were escorting Parker out of the house, he managed to flee, still restrained in handcuffs. The Lorain County Sheriff’s Office and the North Ridgeville Police K-9 Unit assisted the Elyria Police Department in quickly establishing a perimeter and conducting the search.
Following the incident, Elyria police investigators obtained surveillance video that showed Parker running eastbound through a nearby apartment complex toward a wooded area near the Black River. Officers and members of the Elyria Fire Department conducted several searches for Parker along the riverbank. While the ice in the Black River was too dangerous to use boats, crews searched on foot and with drones. K-9 units were also deployed.
A week after Parker’s escape, Elyria police reported that his 20-year-old girlfriend Petra Pintar’s family had reported her missing.
“We believe they are together,” Lantz stated in a release.
Two months later, on April 3, Pintar voluntarily arrived at the Elyria Police Department, where detectives confirmed her safety.
She was detained on an outstanding arrest warrant from another agency and later transferred to the Lorain Police Department.
On July 18, Elyria officers were dispatched to the area of Riverside Drive and 11th Street shortly after 11:45 a.m. due to a reported sighting of Parker.
“When officers arrived, they began searching the area and discovered Parker fleeing from the rear of a nearby home. Officer Juker initiated a foot pursuit as Parker fled west into a wooded area and toward the Black River. Parker crossed the river while Officer Juker remained in pursuit. Parker re-entered the water on the opposite bank, allowing Officer Juker to close the distance and tackle him, according to Elyria police.
You can watch body camera footage of Parker’s arrest below.
Parker was taken into custody and transported to the Lorain County Jail for the following charges:
- Escape
- Resisting arrest
- Felony obstructing official business
- Having weapons under disability
- Two counts of strangulation
- Aggravated robbery
- Aggravated menacing
- Two counts of assault
- Unlawful restraint
