Mom, 12-year-old son killed in shooting; multiple guns found in suspect’s apartment, police say

AKRON, Ohio (WOIO/Gray News) - An Ohio man has been charged in a shooting that authorities say left a mother and her young child dead Saturday night.

According to the Akron Police Department, officers responded to a shooting just before 8:15 p.m. Dispatchers said they received multiple 911 calls, including from a woman who said she had been shot.

Officers arrived at the scene and found a car partially on fire that had crashed into a tree. Inside the vehicle, they found a 12-year-old boy who had been shot.

First responders said he was pronounced dead on scene a short time later.

The driver of the vehicle, who was also the boy’s mother, was found with a gunshot wound. Police said she was taken to the Cleveland Clinic Akron General Medical Center for treatment, but she did not survive.

Additionally, a 2-year-old boy was inside the car. Police said he was uninjured and taken to an area hospital as a precaution.

Detectives said the woman was able to provide them with information that helped identify the suspect as 28-year-old Brandon Casto.

Akron detectives executed a search warrant at an apartment connected to Casto and said they found multiple guns, accessories and a large collection of ammunition.

Authorities coordinated with the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office, where Casto later turned himself in.

The 28-year-old was booked into the Southeast Regional Jail on two counts of aggravated murder and two counts of felonious assault.