Teens sentenced for shooting up casket, injuring three people at Toledo funeral

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - Three teenagers found guilty for their roles in a Toledo funeral shooting that injured three people and struck a casket were sentenced on Friday.

Court records show Keith Hobbs, Keveon Jones and Lupe Hernandez III were convicted for their roles in the shooting after taking Alford pleas in July. Judge Joseph McNamara sentenced Hobbs and Jones to a total of 10 to 13.5 years. He sentenced Hernandez to a total of six to nine years. Hobbs and Jones were convicted of three counts of Felonious Assault and Hernandez was convicted on three counts of Complicity to Commit Felonious Assault.

Police say three people were hurt when the shooters opened fire at a church on Upton Avenue in December 2021 during the funeral for Lawrenczel Larell Taylor III, 21, who had been shot while driving and ended up crashing into a building. A 47-year-old, a 64-year-old, and a 73-year-old were hurt in the funeral shooting and suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

An off-duty Lucas County Sheriff’s Office deputy reported shots fired at the funeral over the radio. The deputy told Toledo Police officers that unknown suspects had fired upon the hearse. Officers found the casket had been struck by several shots.

An officer responding to the scene saw a car that matched the suspect vehicle. Two suspects fled on foot from the vehicle. One was apprehended shortly after fleeing. Officers determined the other suspects entered a residence on Brame. They were later arrested.

The funeral director for the House of Day Funeral Home says two of his employees suffered injuries to the legs when someone shot at the hearse as they were loading flowers into it following a funeral. One of those employees required surgery, according to the director.

The attached video previously aired on Nov. 8, 2022.

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