Police arrested a wounded 28-year-old man after both men were taken to separate Canton hospitals.
CANTON, Ohio — A 20-year-old man died after he was shot several times inside a bedroom early Saturday, and another man wounded during the same incident has been charged with murder, Canton police said.
Officers were called to a home in the 800 block of Garfield Avenue at about 4:20 a.m. July 18 following a report of a shooting. First responders found Rhion Stanford injured inside the home and provided emergency aid before firefighters took him to Aultman Hospital.
Stanford died a short time later, according to police. Authorities have not released further information about the circumstances leading to the gunfire or said what relationship, if any, existed between Stanford and the man charged in his death.
Police identified the defendant as 28-year-old Amondo T. M. Cole. Investigators said Cole was also wounded during the incident and later went to Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital for treatment.
Officers arrested Cole at the hospital. He was booked into the Stark County Jail and charged with murder, police said. A criminal charge is an allegation, and Cole is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
A local court set Cole’s bond at $1.5 million during an arraignment Monday. Authorities said the shooting involved an exchange of gunfire, but police have not publicly provided a full sequence of events or identified who fired first.
Emergency callers reported that a man entered the home with Stanford before five or six shots were heard, according to a local account of the arraignment. Police have not released recordings or a detailed written account confirming all information provided by callers.
No other arrests had been announced as of Tuesday. Authorities also had not released information about a possible motive, the ownership of any weapon or whether investigators recovered firearms from the home.
The investigation remains active. Canton police have asked anyone with information to contact the Canton Communications Center at 330-649-5800 or the Police Department’s detective bureau at 330-489-3144.
Author note: Last updated July 21, 2026.