CLEVELAND — Three people have been indicted for their alleged roles in a Memorial Day weekend shooting that left two dead in downtown Cleveland, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O'Malley announced Friday.
Officials are also naming the suspects for the first time. A grand jury charged 27-year-old Mark Hardy and 23-year-old Kenneth Patterson with three counts of murder and two counts of felonious assault each, while 27-year-old Da'Karai Johnson faces four counts of felonious assault.
The incident occurred around 3 a.m. on May 26, when four people were shot outside the Medusa Lounge on St. Clair Avenue. Twenty-eight-year-old Ta'Von Thompson was hit by multiple bullets before being pronounced dead at MetroHealth Medical Center, while 24-year-old De'Andre Smith died days later after being shot in the face.
Authorities claim Hardy and Patterson shot both Thompson and Smith, while Johnson shot a 26-year-old woman and a 19-year-old man who both survived. Though Cleveland police mentioned arresting three suspects last week, prosecutors now say only Hardy and Johnson were arrested back on June 6, with Patterson actually fleeing to Tennessee before being captured this past Wednesday.
"This senseless act of gun violence cost two people their lives and injured two others," O'Malley said in a statement. "It is a miracle that no one else was harmed by this cowardly act. My thoughts and prayers remain with the victims and their families."
The events outside Medusa were part of a bloody Memorial Day weekend in Cleveland that ended up seeing a total of three people killed and seven others injured across seven separate shootings within the city. Mayor Justin Bibb said at the time he was "both saddened and angered" by the killings.
"Clevelanders deserve to feel safe in our city," Bibb added. "My administration will continue to collaborate with law enforcement, local partners, faith leaders and community members to reduce the number of guns on our streets, target hot spots for violent crime and focus resources where they are needed the most."
Patterson and Johnson do not have prior criminal histories in Cuyahoga County, but records show the Euclid native Hardy had previously pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and aggravated vehicular assault charges that made it illegal for him to have a gun. He was on probation at the time of the killings and was recently found to have violated the conditions of his sentence, though he was not sent to prison.
Court dates for Hardy, Patterson, and Johnson have not yet been announced.