A deadly shooting occurred at Mentor Green Mobile Home Park in Mentor, Ohio, on Thursday afternoon, November 16, 2023, resulting in four deaths, including the gunman, and leaving one person injured. 

Police were called to 7134 Mentor Avenue, shortly after 4:30 pm following reports of shots being fired. Law enforcement agencies confirmed that upon arrival, they found Laura Colon, 62, the property manager of the mobile home facility, dead at the scene. Two others, Terrence Mathis, 63, and Thomas Galiza, 81, were transported to a nearby hospital where both died. A fourth victim, 63-year-old Charles Skala, sustained gunshot wounds to his shoulder and thigh. He’s said to be recovering in a local hospital. 

Ante Logarusic, the communications director for the City of Mentor, said that the shooter, 47-year-old Jason Norris, barricaded himself inside a mobile home at the park, located on the 7100 block of Mentor Avenue, near the border with Willoughby, Ohio. After several hours, officers entered the home and found Norris, an army veteran, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Also in the house were two handguns, a long rifle, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

Residents described the mobile home park as a community for those aged 55 and older. One resident who lived across the street from the suspect mentioned that Norris might have been evicted prior to the incident. He was first seen arguing with the property manager and then shot her and others who came to her aid.

Roughly 30 displaced residents were evacuated to the Mentor Senior Center for the night, as the police and paramedics secured the scene. The road along Mentor Avenue from the Willoughby border to Ohio 306 was closed until about 11:15 pm.

Larry Morrow, a 23-year resident of the mobile home park, expressed his concern about the victims, hoping they were not someone he knew. He described the park as usually a very quiet community.