TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – Toledo Police are calling Wednesday’s shooting at the Boulder Creek Apartments on South Byrne Road an attempted murder-suicide.
46-year-old Lawrence Moore allegedly shot Ashley Morris, who also goes by Ashley Fonseca, then killed himself in a domestic violence situation.
13 Action News discovered that this incident is not the first time Morris has been in the middle of a tragic domestic violence situation. Ashley Morris was injured and her mother was killed in a high-profile domestic violence attack in the 1990s.
The attempted murder-suicide on Wednesday happened around 9 a.m. Ashley’s young son called 9-1-1 for help. The father of one of the boys says it feels like a horrible dream. His 7-year-old son and the little boy’s teenage brother were home when police say Moore pulled the trigger.
“I was just hugging him and trying to hold him and letting him know everything is going to be okay,” the father of the child told 13 Action News.
He didn’t want to show his face, but the biological father of one of the kids fought back tears as he thought about what the boys saw.
“I feel terrible,” the father said. “I hate that my son’s mom had to experience this.”
Toledo Police officers were called to Boulder Creek Apartments on June 25. They found 46-year-old Lawrence Moore dead inside an apartment and a woman suffering from at least one gunshot wound.
Family and friends tell 13 Action News the woman is Ashley Morris, who also goes by Ashley Fonseca. The two were dating.
Morris was rushed to the hospital where she’s fighting for her life. Her teenage son called 9-1-1.
“Just knowing that he had to be the one to call 9-1-1,” the father said. “I can’t imagine.”
It appears the young mother did not feel safe in the relationship. She posted the following on Facebook:
“I can’t take this mf always threatening me he’s gonna punch me in my face and know my teeth out and my kids are gonna be motherless! Constantly putting the gun up against my head or shoving it in my stomach! Destroying my stuff every chance. This is getting out of control I don’t feel safe”
The father of Ashley’s son said he’s worried about the affect this senseless violence will have on the kids.
“I’m just praying that’s all I can do. I’m at such a loss for words,” said the father.
Morris’ two sons are staying with family following the tragedy. Her friends and family tell 13 Action News she’s on life support.
The tragedy hits close to home for those who knew Morris, as it’s not the first time she’s been involved in a high-profile domestic violence situation. When Ashley Morris was a child, she and her brother were injured, and their mother, Vivian, was killed by a man Vivian dated.
Joe Chapell was one of Vivian’s co-workers. The two had apparently gone out on a date while Vivian was having problems with her boyfriend. After they reconciled, one of Vivian’s neighbors said Chapell became obsessed and started to harass her.
“She went down, filed the report and told them, ‘he’s outside right now.’ They said, ‘Well, just let us know if he does anything, and if he does follow you, pull into some parking lot or whatever and give us a call.’ So she and her friend left, and he followed them. They lost him in traffic, and eventually, she dropped her friend off, and she went home. Joe shows up shortly thereafter and does the carnage that we all know now,” said Karen Diaz, a former neighbor of Ashley and Vivian Morris.
That carnage became known as the Trail of Terror. After the stabbing, Chapell carjacked a woman, then tracked down and shot at the ambulances carrying Vivian and her children. A firefighter was shot.
He also killed another woman who wouldn’t give Chapell the keys to her truck.
The terror ended in gunfire and Monroe and Secor when police shot and killed Chapell.
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This article was published by WTVG on 2025-06-26 18:45:00
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