CLEVELAND — Cleveland police announced the arrest of two more suspects in connection to a shooting that took place outside of St. Malachi Parish last week.
As the investigation into the shooting developed, police identified 30-year-old Randal Rayshawn Russell and 37-year-old Rahmean Omar Ponzie as suspects in the July 29 shooting.
Officers located Russell on Thursday, Aug. 1 while witnessing an aggravated robbery in progress in the 2700 block of Division Avenue. He was arrested shortly after officers intervened to stop the robbery. Police say Russell is a suspect in an unrelated shooting that took place in the 2400 block of Washington Avenue on Monday.
A warrant was issued for Ponzie after he was identified as a suspect in the St. Malachi shooting. He was located and arrested on Saturday, and is currently being held on a $100,000 bond.
These arrests come after the first suspect, 35-year-old Richo Samuels Jr., was arrested shortly after the shooting took place.
This was the second shooting to occur near St. Malachi within six weeks. Due to the ongoing safety concerns, the church has decided to "temporarily" suspend its Monday Night Meal program for those in need.
"While Monday Night Meal will be temporarily suspended, we continue to assess and pursue new safety measures to increase protection for our volunteers and our guests," the Rev. Michael Gurnick, parish administrator, wrote on St. Malachi's website. "We also hope to be gathering for a special evening of prayer and reflection in the near future."