East Cleveland, OH – East Cleveland police have released bodycam footage of an officer-involved shooting of a man who fired a gun in the air and severely assaulted a woman he didn’t know (video below).
The incident began at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, when officers who were standing in the department’s back parking lot heard gunshots ring out, WJW reported.
They were simultaneously dispatched to a report of a physical altercation between a man and a woman on Beersford Road, and responded to find the male suspect beating the female victim in the middle of the street, WEWS reported.
The man threw his shirt at the approaching patrol vehicle, and a woman lied crumpled on the ground a short distance away, bodycam footage showed.
The officer backed around the rear of his patrol vehicle, where he immediately encountered the shirtless suspect.
The man charged the officer almost instantly.
The officer drew his weapon and shouted at the suspect to stop, then fired a single round at the attacker’s abdomen.
The suspect tumbled to the ground while the officer scrambled backwards, putting distance between them.
Suddenly, the man jumped to his feet and charged at a second officer, shoving him backwards.
During the altercation that ensued, the suspect punched the officer in the face and both men fell to the ground.
A swarm of four officers descended on him as he continued to resist their efforts to take him into custody.
“Give us your f - - - - - g hands!” one of the officers said.
“There’s a gun,” another said, just before the video ended.
The suspect was taken to a local hospital, but his condition was unknown, WEWS reported.
The female victim remained hospitalized in critical condition on Sunday. She told police that she did not know the man who assaulted her, and that she was “just walking down the street” when the attack occurred.
Two officers were injured in the altercation, police said.
One suffered a fractured hand, while the other sustained a fracture to his orbital bone.
Both were treated and released from the hospital.
The incident remains under investigation, police said.
You can watch the bodycam video of the incident below:
