March 15, 2023 A Cleveland police detective was shot in the leg and the arm while chasing a suspect who fled on foot from a stolen car and began opening fire.
By Molly Walsh Source cleveland.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
CLEVELAND—A Cleveland police officer was shot Tuesday evening in the city’s Central neighborhood, and two other Cleveland police officers responding to the scene in a police car were injured in an accident.
The officer who was shot “is conscious and talking at this time,” Cleveland police spokesperson Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said. “The investigation remains ongoing and additional information will be provided as it becomes available.”
The on-duty officer was shot near the 2800 block of Cedar Ave., Ciaccia said.
The two detectives were investigating Hyundai and Kia thefts in the area, Cleveland police chief Wayne Drummond said. He added that the location often sees stolen vehicles left in the area.
“They came upon what they believed to be a stolen Kia,” he said. “Four suspects bailed from the vehicle and they started to run.”
Drummond said both officers chased the suspects. One suspect dropped a weapon during the chase that was picked by one of the detectives and placed in detectives’ car. When the detective got out of the car, one of the suspects in a bright orange jacket fired four shots. The officer, who has been with the department for approximately four years, was struck once in the leg and once in the arm.
Another officer on scene applied a tourniquet to the officer who was shot.
Cleveland Fire responded to the scene at approximately 6:24 p.m. but the officer had been transported to MetroHealth Medical Center by police, Cleveland Fire Lt. Mike Norman said.
The accident involving the two other officers occurred nearby at E. 30th and Carnegie Avenue. They were transported to MetroHealth Medical Center by EMS, Ciaccia said. She said the officers were injured but did provide details.
The last Cleveland officer shot while on duty was James Skernivitz. He was working narcotics with an informant when they were both killed during a botched robbery. That was on Sept. 3, 2020.