More charges for Oberlin man in death of Grafton man outside Elyria Walmart

A Lorain County grand jury has charged an Oberlin man with shooting and killing a Grafton man in Elyria in November. Roosevelt Benton, 19, of North Cedar Street, is now facing seven felony charges including murder, felonious assault, improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle and carrying a concealed weapon, in an indictment filed in Common Pleas Court on Dec. 28. Some of the charges carry firearms and drive-by shooting specifications that could add mandatory prison time if Benton is convicted. The case has not yet been assigned to a judge, according to court records. An arraignment is likely to take place Jan. 11. Benton's attorney, Anthony Rich, said Thursday he had no comment on the case ahead of the next hearing. Benton was being held in the Lorain County Jail on a $2 million bond, according to jail records. Benton allegedly shot and killed 21-year-old Nicholas Tubbs of Grafton in the parking lot of the Walmart at Chestnut Commons in Elyria on Nov. 2. Elyria police said officers responded shortly before 5 p.m. that day to a report that a man had been shot. They found Tubbs there, and he was taken first to University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center then to University Hospitals' main campus in Cleveland. Tubbs was pronounced dead early the following morning, police said. An investigation led police to Benton. He was arrested Nov. 3 and charged with felonious assault, then with murder after Tubbs died. Police did not give a motive for the shooting. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.