Jordan Lee Flanigan was a 24-year-old man from Elyria, Ohio, and a father who was remembered for a smile that could light up a room. His life was cut short on the evening of October 27, 2022, in a shooting that would lead to a years-long pursuit of justice.
Around 7:46 p.m., Elyria police officers were dispatched to the Midview Crossings Apartments on Middle Avenue after a 911 call reported shots fired.
They arrived to find Jordan Flanigan lying in the grass outside one of the buildings, suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers administered aid until paramedics arrived, but Flanigan was pronounced dead at the scene less than ten minutes later. A resident who knew Flanigan and was friends with the mother of his child recalled returning home to a scene filled with police and ambulances.
At the same time police were responding to the apartment complex, a 21-year-old man named Henry Spooner IV arrived at University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center with his own gunshot wounds. Investigators immediately suspected the two incidents were related. About an hour after the shooting, officers spotted a blue Jeep Cherokee that matched the description of a vehicle witnesses saw leaving the scene. The Jeep fled, leading to a police pursuit that ended when the vehicle crashed. Two men, aged 19 and 21, ran from the Jeep but were quickly taken into custody after a brief foot chase.
The investigation by Elyria police detectives pointed to Spooner as the suspect in Flanigan's death. On January 26, 2023, a Lorain County grand jury indicted Spooner on multiple charges, including three counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault, and tampering with evidence. He was arrested by Westlake police in February 2023 and pleaded not guilty, claiming he had acted in self-defense.
In July 2025, Henry Spooner IV, then 23, stood trial in Lorain County Common Pleas Court. The prosecution presented its case over three days, arguing that Spooner had executed Jordan Flanigan with a single gunshot to the head. On July 22, 2025, a jury found Spooner guilty of murder, two counts of felonious assault with firearm specifications, and improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle.
Following the verdict, Elyria's police chief stated that justice had been served for a "tragic and senseless act of violence." As of July 2025, Henry Spooner IV had been convicted and was awaiting a sentencing date.
