ASHLAND | Release of 911 Call in Fatal East Liberty Street Shooting, New Details Emerge

A New Year’s Day shooting on East Liberty Street in Ashland has left one man dead, another charged with aggravated murder, and a community searching for answers. Newly released information tied to the 911 call offers a clearer picture of what investigators say happened inside the home that afternoon.​

Victim and suspect

• The victim has been identified as John “Lefty” Grehn, 61, who was living at 102 East Liberty Street with longtime friend John Palermo.​

• The suspect, Palermo’s son, 24‑year‑old Robert Palermo of Ashland, is charged with aggravated murder, an unclassified felony alleging he purposely, with prior calculation and design, caused Grehn’s death on January 1, 2026.​

911 call and immediate response

• Around 2:15 p.m., Ashland Police were dispatched after a 911 call from John Palermo, who reported that his son had shot Grehn inside the residence.​

• Responding officers found Grehn dead in the home that Thursday afternoon, and Ashland County Coroner Dr. Dale Thomae ordered the body sent to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy, with results still pending.

Argument over a dog

• Prosecutor Christopher Tunnell says the deadly encounter began as a verbal argument between Robert Palermo and Grehn about Grehn’s dog being allowed in the house.​

• The dispute reportedly paused when Grehn went downstairs to the living room, but authorities allege that during this lull, Palermo went upstairs, took a handgun from a locked box, loaded it, then returned to the living room and resumed the confrontation.​

Alleged shooting sequence

• According to the complaint and prosecutor’s account, Grehn was seated on a couch when Palermo allegedly opened fire, shooting him multiple times and causing his death.​

• The charging documents assert that Palermo acted “purposely, and with prior planning,” language that supports the aggravated murder count and the claim of prior calculation and design.​

Bond, legal stakes, and next steps

• Magistrate Emily Bates set bond at $2 million in Ashland County Court of Common Pleas, also approving a personal recognizance bond with strict conditions if Palermo were to be released, including GPS monitoring, a nightly curfew, no firearms, and no contact with his father.​

• Palermo, who has no known prior criminal history, remains in the Ashland County Jail; he faces a potential maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted, though prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty, and the case continues under investigation by Ashland Police with assistance from state and county agencie