On November 27, 2023, Donte A. Noble, a 31-year-old man from Lorain, Ohio, was fatally shot in Oberlin. The incident occurred in the 100 block of South Pleasant Street, where police responded to a shots fired call just after 6 p.m. Officers found Noble lying in a driveway with a gunshot wound to the chest. A gun was discovered at the scene. Noble was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Following the shooting, authorities identified and arrested Xavier A. Smith, a 19-year-old resident of Oberlin, as a suspect in the case. Smith was initially charged with two counts of murder and one count of felonious assault. Preliminary investigations suggested that Smith and Noble were involved in some form of altercation prior to the shooting.
Smith was held at the Lorain County Jail without bond following his arrest. In a subsequent development, Smith, by then 20 years old, pleaded guilty to amended charges of voluntary manslaughter, felonious assault, and receiving stolen property. As a result of his plea, Smith was sentenced to 9 to 11 1/2 years in prison for his role in the November 2023 shooting death of Donte Noble.
Donte Adaryll Noble Jr. was born on October 13, 1992, in Lorain, where he spent most of his life. His unexpected passing on November 27, 2023, at the age of 31, left a void in the community and among his loved ones.
