CLEVELAND — On Thursday, the Cleveland Division of Police held a briefing with updates on two recent officer-involved fatal shootings that have taken place in the city.
Prosecutors from the Ohio Attorney General's Office will review the June 2nd incident in which Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority police officers fatally shot a 42-year-old man after he bit off an officer's finger in the 3400 block of East 98th Street. They will also investigate a May 30 incident in which Maple Heights officers shot and killed a man on East 93rd Street and Buckeye Road in Cleveland after a chase.
“The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office has assisted with attaining a special prosecutor to review these cases. One prosecutor, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, has been identified, the second outside prosecutor is still pending,” said Commander Ali Pillow. “The wearable camera footage that we are releasing today is a very important part of the investigation and the evidence but it is only a part of the evidence. In order for this to be a thorough and complete investigation, we need to put everything together.”
CMHA officers initially responded to the scene after receiving reports that the 42-year-old was throwing furniture and other objects off the 7th-floor balcony of his apartment building.
Cleveland Director of Public Safety Karrie D. Howard, Police Chief Wayne Drummond and Commander Pillow spoke at the press briefing and released body cam footage from both incidents. Officials said that footage is a significant part of the ongoing investigations.
"Our partners at the (Cuyahoga County) medical examiner's office are conducting several tests of evidence submitted," Pillow said. "Physical evidence, biological evidence which could take some time."
Investigators will present facts and statements to the prosecutors. Cleveland officials say both the CMHA and Maple Heights police departments are fully cooperating.
“The Cleveland Division of Police is the primary investigating agency for the two officer involved shootings that occurred last week in the city of Cleveland,” said Drummond. “Both the Maple Heights Police Department and the CMHA Police Department are cooperating fully with our investigators. Our hearts go out to the families involved and also to the officers involved in these incidents.”
You can watch Thursday's briefing from the Cleveland Division of Police in the player below:
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