Coroner identifies man found dead following SUV crash into Youngstown home

The Mahoning County Coroner's Office has released the name of the man who was found dead after an SUV crashed into a house in Youngstown Wednesday night.

The coroner identified the man as 51-year-old Derrick Franklin.

Police believe Franklin to have been the same person that shot at a woman shortly before the crash.

A woman told police that an older, bearded man entered a business at Mahoning and Belle Vista Avenues just after 9 p.m. and began shouting at her. The report does not name the business.

As the woman opened the door for the man to leave, she said he pulled out a revolver and fired a shot at her.

A police officer at the nearby traffic light began to chase the SUV north on Belle Vista but lost sight of the vehicle.

The officer returned to the business and was filling out a report when he found out that the SUV had crashed into a house on Salt Springs Road just west of Belle Vista.

What first came into dispatchers as an odor of gas, turned out to be a sport utility vehicle that had crashed into a home on Salt Springs Road, just west of Belle Vista Avenue.

Police told 21 News that no one was home at the time. 

The impact was so great that the SUV was partly in the home’s basement and needed a tow truck to pull it out.

Damage to the home was so severe, that demolition began Thursday morning.

Franklin was not carrying an ID at the time of death.  Police plan to review security video from the store in hopes of learning if he is the same man accused of firing the shot.

The house is on the property next to the former Torch Club which was demolished after a fire in July

RELATED COVERAGE: Torch Club Bar and Grille in Youngstown demolished after fire