CLEVELAND — Cleveland's high crime rates have unfortunately been topping the headlines for weeks, and the news did not get any better this past weekend.
Police confirm three people were killed and 10 others injured in eight separate shooting incidents which took place from early Saturday morning through early Monday morning. These included a triple shooting outside a bar on Old River Road, as well as a homicide about a block away from Progressive Field.
The first killing took place just before 1 a.m. Sunday, when two men were shot within the 4300 block of East 119th Street. 30-year-old Joshua A. Davis died at Cleveland Clinic Marymount Hospital in Garfield Heights after being hit multiple times, while a second 33-year-old victim took a bullet to the back.
According to eyewitness accounts, the two were backing out of a driveway when three men approached in an unidentified vehicle and began firing. The 33-year-old victim ran away, while Davis sped off in his car before crashing on Interstate 480 in Maple Heights. A Good Samaritan found him on the highway and took him to the hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Less than two hours later, another double shooting took place on outside the Power Cabaret and Madusa Restaurant & Lounge on St. Clair Avenue. Officials say suspect exchanged gunfire in the parking lots and 34-year-old Tramaine Locklear was taken by private auto to MetroHealth Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead after being shot multiple times in the chest. A 44-year-old woman was also hurt after being hit in the leg.
Finally, just before 1 a.m. Monday, police responded to a report of shots fired downtown when they found 24-year-old Anthony Blackwell slumped over the driver's seat of his car after being fatally shot. One witness told authorities they had seen Blackwell driving when multiple bullets were fired in his direction for another vehicle that had driven up beside him near East 8th Street and Bolivar Road. The suspects have been described as two males.
Around the time of the third killing, gunshots also rang out at the Frozen Daiquiri Bar & Restaurant on Old River Road. A 22-year-old man who had been shot in the chest made his wat to East 9th and flagged down an ambulance, while two other men — 31 and 29 years old — took themselves to Metro with their own gunshot wounds.
The remaining shootings took place as follows:
- Saturday, 2:53 a.m.: A 30-year-old man was shot in the hand near West 130th Street and Highlandview Avenue. He was taken by ambulance to Metro.
- Saturday, 3:43 p.m.: Two teens were shot on the 900 block of Stevenson Road and taken by ambulance to University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. An 18-year-old man is in serious condition after being grazed in the hip, whole a 16-year-old boy is listed as stable after being grazed in the head.
- Sunday, 1:01 a.m.: A 43-year-old man was shot in the leg within the 3600 block of East 117th Street. He was taken by ambulance to UH.
- Sunday, 1:51 a.m.: A man was shot in the hand near the intersection of East 86th Street and Superior Avenue. He was taken to Cleveland Clinic in a private vehicle.
In addition, police on Friday also located the body of a Bedford woman who had been missing for five days, with her boyfriend now charged with her murder. There was also a serious crash on I-90 Saturday evening that left one man dead and at least one other person injured.
As officials continue to look for suspects in the homicides, anyone with information is asked to immediately call either the Cleveland Division of Police at (216) 623-1234 or Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County at (216) 252-7463. A cash reward of up to $5,000 may be available for tips in each of the three cases.
"One homicide is one too many for me as mayor," Mayor Justin Bibb told 3News last week, "and we need to let these folks know that this behavior is unacceptable and our officers, our prosecutors and our judges are going to make sure that we hold them accountable."
