Man indicted on murder charges for deadly downtown Dayton shooting

Robert Blackstone with his four children, Bobby, Robin, Quincy and Shataria. CONTRIBUTED

Robert Blackstone with his four children, Bobby, Robin, Quincy and Shataria. CONTRIBUTED

A man is facing multiple murder charges in the deadly shooting of a local artist in downtown Dayton earlier this month.

A grand jury indicted 43-year-old Antonio Marvin Murray on two counts each of murder and felonious assault and three counts of having weapons while under disability, according to Montgomery County Common Pleas Court documents.

He is being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1 million bond and is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday.

Antonio Murray

Credit: Montgomery County Jail

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Credit: Montgomery County Jail

Murray is accused of shooting and killing Robert Blackstone, 51, in the 100 block of South Main Street near East Fifth Street on Aug. 1.

A Dayton police officer found Blackstone shot in the chest after hearing gunfire.

“The officer immediately went toward the direction of the threat and observed that the victim had just been injured,” said Dayton police Lt. Steven Bauer. “The victim was pronounced deceased on the scene.”

Police arrested Murray later that day on Riverside Drive.

A friend of Blackstone said Murray was a stranger and that Blackstone was shot after he went downtown to pick up a friend.

Blackstone is survived by four children and two grandchildren.

Hope Brookshire-Hendricks, a friend who shares three children with him, said he was warm-hearted, silly and liked making people smile and laugh.

“His thing was living life and being happy,” she said. “He liked fixing cars, doing things around the house, helping people move — he always had multiple jobs, so he was always staying busy.”

Staff writer Cornelius Frolik contributed to this report.

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