Hudson man who was shot to death at home was Cleveland State professor

A 41-year-old Hudson man found dead in his Wednesday night with multiple gunshot wounds in his West Streetsboro Street home was an assistant professor at Cleveland State University.

Hudson police found the man, identified Thursday afternoon as Todd A. Morgan, while conducting a welfare check at the residence, according to the Summit County Medical Examiner's Office. He was pronounced dead at the scene about 7:20 p.m.

An autopsy conducted Thursday identified the cause of death as gunshot wounds to the head and torso.

"It is being investigated as a possible homicide," a Hudson spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "We believe this to be an isolated incident."

According to a fall 2021 article on Cleveland State's website, Morgan was a two-time CSU alumnus who became an assistant professor in the Monte Ahuja College of Business' Department of Management that fall.

“I am grateful for having graduated from Cleveland State in 2005 with my BBA and 2006 with my MBA. My professors had a profound impact on my career trajectory and why I wanted to get my Ph.D. and teach,” Morgan said. “CSU holds a special place in my heart and I hope to have a similar impact on students that come to CSU.”

Todd Morgan was assistant professor at Cleveland State University

Cleveland State President Laura Bloomberg in an email to the university community shared campus resources for those struggling with the news of Morgan's death: faculty and staff members can contact Impact as part of the Employee Assistance Program at 1-800-227-6007, and free and confidential 24/7 counseling services are available for students through the Counseling Center at 216-687-2277.

"Todd was known in our CSU community as a kind, dedicated colleague and a skilled educator. He was well liked and respected by students, appreciated for his down-to-earth demeanor, and very well regarded by those who guided him in his own career," Bloomberg wrote. "We are deeply saddened and sorry to have lost a talented educator, friend and co-worker in such a tragic manner. I join the entire CSU community in sending our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and colleagues."

According to his faculty profile, the courses Morgan was teaching this semester included Entrepreneurial Strategy, Management Strategy & Policy and a dissertation. He taught Business Model Design, Management Strategy & Policy and Principles of Innovation & Entrepreneurship in the fall of 2022; Integrative Business Strategy and Management Strategy & Policy in the summer of 2022; two sections of Entrepreneurship and Management Strategy & Policy in the spring of 2022; and Entrepreneurship Toolkit in the fall of 2021.

According to the university, Morgan started his career as an account representative for Unilever and then became the senior marketing analyst and data modeler for Amerimark. He earned a PhD in business administration with a focus in strategy and entrepreneurship from Kent State University in 2015.

The university said Morgan was previously in an assistant professor position at both the University of Massachusetts Lowell and the Haworth College of Business at Western Michigan University.

His research focused on new product development, innovation, strategy and competitive advantage and examined how firms leverage resources, integrate external knowledge and maximize their effectiveness, with a focus on small- to medium-sized enterprises, the university said.

Hudson neighbors said Todd Morgan was father of two

Neighbors of Morgan said the man kept to himself and was the father of two young children.

Neighbor Kent Both said Thursday that two Hudson police vehicles were still at the residence when he decided to inquire about the incident.

He said Morgan hadn't lived at the West Streetsboro Street home for long.

"I think he moved in maybe six to eight months ago," Both said.

Summit County property records show Morgan purchased the home in February 2022. The property has an extended front yard and access to a private pond in the backyard, which contains a small greenhouse and garden plots.

Both said he hadn't seen Morgan often, but encountered him outside smoking once.

"I never got to meet him," he said.

Both said he walked up to officers in the driveway Wednesday night and inquired about what was going on.

"I said, 'Hello, officer,' and explained why I was here," Both said. "He said, 'It's really sad.'"

The officers at the scene, however, could not provide details about the case, he said.

Both said he spoke with a neighbor who believe he had heard shots fired in Morgan's residence. Hudson police are not currently discussing details of the investigation.

"He heard two shots — two at first, then another three," Both said.

Both's neighbor told him they saw a vehicle in Morgan's driveway before police arrived.

"They saw someone coming out of the house and then (they) went back in," Both said.

A police report on the incident was not immediately available.

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Hudson residents concerned after West Streetsboro Street shooting

Linda Skilton, another neighbor of the slain man, said she saw at least five police vehicles at the residence.

"The police asked me, 'Did you hear anything? Did you see any weird cars?'" she said.

Skilton said she hadn't been aware there was an incident before the arrival of police vehicles. She was also told the police could not provide information.

Skilton's daughter babysat the man's two children on occasion last summer, she said.

"Right when he moved here, I made sure I went over and introduced myself," she said.

Skilton said he kept to himself and preferred her daughter babysit at the Skilton home instead of his house. She said investigators returned to the scene after the initial police forces had departed.

"Later in the night, an unmarked car came by," she said. "They took a ton of pictures."

Other neighbors said they were unaware of the homicide, although one had noticed police cars at the scene last night and was checking media sites for information.

Crime, especially a homicide, is an anomaly in the "quiet and safe" neighborhood, Both said.

"I hope they figure this out with Todd," he said. "Should we be concerned? Is there a crime wave coming here?"

Skilton shared the same concerns as her neighbor.

"Is there a murderer in the neighborhood?" she said.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Hudson man who was shot to death at home was Cleveland State professor