CLEVELAND — More details have been provided about the recent fatal shooting of a 32-year-old man by a Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) police officer on Cleveland's west side.
CMHA police released body camera footage of the incident on Wednesday afternoon. It shows the officer arriving at the scene just after midnight on Monday near Riverside Park. As he goes to exit his vehicle, he is being attacked by Maalik Roquemore.
The officer first tries to deploy his taser, but it has no effect and Roquemore continues to charge into him. Then, Roquemore runs away and the officer pulls out his gun.
"Get away from me," the officer can be heard telling Roquemore on three occasions. Finally, the officer fires two shots.
The investigation into the shooting is being conducted by the Cleveland Division of Police. Earlier on Wednesday, Cleveland Police Chief Wayne Drummond and Public Safety Director Karrie Howard held a press conference to update the investigation.
“I assure the city of Cleveland that this matter will be subject to a full and honest investigation conducted by the Cleveland Division of Police,” said Howard. “We have been in touch with the CMHA Police Department which has and will continue to provide full cooperation.”
You can watch Wednesday's briefing below:
According to the CMHA, the officer was responding to a call at Riverside Park when Roquemore flagged him down. Drummond added that after the shooting, the CMHA officer administered first-aid and called dispatch requesting EMS.
The officer was also treated for injuries that he suffered during the attack.
On Wednesday evening, 3News' Lydia Esparra spent time at the Roquemore home after a vigil was held. Maalik's mother Kimberly says her son was schizophrenic and had PTSD, but was able to live alone.
"He was high-functioning, except this last year. He declined," Kimberly says, adding that she has no idea why the scuffle with CMHA police happened.
"It was just a bad mental health day and he was in crisis," she adds. "And it wasn't recognized."
Kimberly, who is a registered nurse, says we continue to have issues in this country with mental illness. She wishes someone, be it police, a neighbor, or even a friend, would have told her that her son was not well.
"Had I been here, he (Maalik) would have been hospitalized."
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