CLEVELAND — Cleveland police have arrested a man they say is responsible for the deaths of a 17-year-old boy and a 31-year-old man shot and killed on Memorial Day.
Authorities say 35-year-old Jamell Gaines, of Cleveland, shot the men before fleeing both scenes that night. He allegedly first shot 31-year-old Curtis Legg, on his porch on West 83rd Street before finding 17-year-old Eric Hakizimana in his car at a stoplight on Detroit Avenue. Gaines then pulled Hakizimana out of his car and shot him in the chest before taking off with the car, and officials say a DNA hit on the car is what led to Gaines' arrest.
3News has learned Hakizimana was a refugee from Congo, who grew up in a refugee camp in Uganda most his life before arriving in Cleveland with his family to escape war in 2018. He was dropping friends off from soccer practice when he was killed.
The investigation into Eric's death was picked up by the FBI as part of their Operation Legend initiative, and a $25,000 reward was offered for any answers in the case.
Hakizimana is described by family as a loving brother and son. He leaves behind five siblings, parents, a sister-in-law, a nephew, and many extended family members and friends. Soccer was Hakizimana's greatest love. Family and friends say he was a kind person who loved teaching others to play the sport and singing in his church choir.
Gaines is already in the Cuyahoga County jail on burglary and petty theft charges from an unrelated arrest in East Cleveland. He faces two murder charges in the Memorial Day shooting, and police say more charges are pending.
