Akron, Ohio, is grappling with grief and shock after a horrific shooting left 47-year-old Tania Mangual and her 12-year-old son, Jericho Mangual, dead Saturday evening. The pair were inside their SUV outside a friend’s house on West Wilbeth Road when violence erupted unexpectedly, turning an ordinary evening into a scene of unimaginable tragedy.
According to eyewitness accounts, Tania had just dropped off a friend after a night out. The calm night shattered when 28-year-old Brandon Casto allegedly approached and opened fire on the SUV. The friend, who survived after a bullet grazed her head, recounted the terrifying moments with harrowing detail. She described how the shooter circled the car, firing multiple shots before fleeing the scene. “He shot at me too, but it hit me in my wig so it missed my head,” she said.
Tania and Jericho were struck in the attack. After Tania was shot, her SUV rolled down a small embankment into some brush along Hemlock Street, as reported by a 911 caller. Emergency responders rushed to the scene, but tragically, both mother and son were pronounced dead.
