CLEVELAND — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from a story published on Jan. 4, 2021.
A 22-year-old Cleveland man on Wednesday was sentenced to life in prison for the 2019 killing of a Willoughby man, and the shooting of another.
According to County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley, Treal White, was found guilty of murder for the shooting of a 25-year-old and the assault of a 27-year-old in the Collinwood neighborhood of Cleveland.
“This senseless killing is yet another sad example of the gun violence that is plaguing our community,” said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley, “This individual has earned this prison sentence.”
The shooting occurred on Sept. 21, 2019, after White and both victims were actively engaged in a dispute. According to officials, White then retrieved a rifle from a vehicle nearby, shot at the two men repeatedly, and fled the scene.
As officials responded to the scene, police found the 25-year-old man had been shot five times and pronounced him dead on arrival. The 27-year-old had been shot twice and was taken to the hospital for his injuries.
The Cleveland Division of Police (CPD), Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office (CCMEO) responded to the scene. They found the 25-year-old victim had suffered five gunshot wounds to his head, chest, arms, and foot, and pronounced him deceased on scene.
DNA evidence, eyewitness accounts, and ballistics were all used to track down White as the main suspect in the case.
White waived his right to trial on March 22, 2021, and was convicted by a Cuyahoga County judge on March 29.
Editor's note: The video in the player below is from a story published on Feb. 11, 2021.