Oberlin man accused of shooting Lorain resident remains in Lorain County Jail without bond

OBERLIN — The suspect in a fatal shooting earlier this week will continue to be held in the Lorain County Jail without bond. Xavier Smith, 19, of Oberlin, was charged with two counts of murder and one count of felonious assault in connection with the shooting death of Donte Noble Jr., 31, of Lorain, on Monday. During a bond hearing Wednesday morning in Oberlin Municipal Court, Judge Thomas Januzzi stated the court will continue to deny Smith bail on the basis he posed a substantial risk to the community if released on bond. Oberlin police received multiple 911 calls Monday evening reporting shots fired in the 100 block of South Pleasant Street. Oberlin police Officer Jakob Koleszar and Sgt. Melissa Lett both testified Wednesday that when they got to the shared driveway at 109 S. Pleasant St., they found Noble lying in the driveway with a gunshot wound, with a woman attempting to help him. The woman was later identified as Kaliyah Carter, Smith's sister and the mother of Noble's child. Koleszar attempted to help Noble until medical personnel arrived, he said, while Lett took Smith into custody. Noble was taken to Mercy Allen Hospital, where he died from his injuries. Smith was standing near the doorway of the home at 109 S. Pleasant St. with a handgun near his feet and several shell casings nearby, according to the officer's testimony. Lett said when she was walking Smith to her patrol car, he told her Noble had been threatening his sister all day, including threatening to shoot her and her children before showing up at the home. She said Smith later confessed to shooting Noble, but that she was not the officer who took his confession. According to Lett's testimony, Carter went to Oberlin police earlier that day because Noble had allegedly threatened to harm her and her children. After leaving Oberlin police, Carter went to the South Pleasant Street home where Smith was. Her Dodge Caliber was in the driveway running when officers arrived at the home. A Ruger pistol was in her purse, according to Lett. A Mercury Milan, driven by Noble, was parked and still running behind Carter's vehicle in the driveway, Lett said. A loaded Taurus handgun was reportedly found in that vehicle. At the time of the shooting, Smith was out on bond from another case in Lorain County Common Pleas Court. According to common pleas records, Smith was charged with improperly handing firearms in a vehicle, carrying a concealed weapon and obstructing official business, all felonies, during an incident in February. Oberlin City Prosecutor Farah Emeka asked that Smith be held without bond, in part because the shooting occurred while he was out on bond from another incident involving a weapons charge. His defense attorney, John Toth, argued the state had not proved Smith was a danger if released and requested house arrest — citing evidence that Noble's death was allegedly preceded by Smith's sister feeling threatened. Toth later referenced Noble's criminal history, including a previous domestic violence charge. Several of Noble and Smith's family members attended the hearing via Zoom, and began arguing after Toth's allegation, interrupting him. Some yelled "Where is the proof?" while others countered with "We all know what your brother did." The back and forth devolved into the roughly eight people on the call yelling over one another, including using racial epithets. Bailiff Joseph Davidson abruptly ended the Zoom call and the hearing continued without further incident. Januzzi referenced the outburst, as well as Smith's pending case in Lorain County Common Pleas during his decision to continue to hold Smith without bond. "You would think someone who has a pending felony under court-supervised release would be much more careful and the court has great concern about the decision-making process of a person who is on court-supervised release … who would find themselves in this circumstance … I don't know if the person can trust themselves or trust others — I heard what was going on in the viewers also that were in the virtual courtroom and (have) a great concern about interaction between all people involved," he said. This is the second time an Oberlin 19-year-old has been arrested on murder charges in the past month. On Nov. 2, Roosevelt Benton of Oberlin allegedly shot and killed Nicholas Tubbs, 21, of Grafton in the Elyria Walmart parking lot. This is believed to be the first murder to occur in Oberlin since January 2021, when Canaan Sullivan of Lorain allegedly shot and killed 21-year-old Tray Porter of Elyria. Sullivan has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go to trial in July, according to court records. Smith will have a preliminary hearing in Oberlin Municipal Court on Dec. 6. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.