CLEVELAND – A young boy was found dead in a home and a man was shot by police during an incident Wednesday morning on Cleveland’s east side, near the Warrensville Heights border, according to a Cleveland police officer at the scene.
Police were called to house in the 19000 block of Harvard Rd. at about 8:30 a.m.
According to Ed Tomba with the Cleveland Police Department, a 10-year-old girl who suffered a knife wound to her neck ran out of the house and down the street to her mom’s work, Willow Park Nursing Home. The mother, Markeia Smith, took her daughter back to the house and police were there, attempting to get 31-year-old Julian Whitaker out of the home.
Tomba said Whitaker came out of the house with a knife in his hand and refused officers’ orders to put it down. When he made a threatening gesture toward the officers, Warrensville police officers — who arrived first at the scene — shot him, Tomba said.
Police then entered the home and discovered the body of 5-year-old Larvell Smith, according to Tomba.
Whitaker and the young girl were both transported to MetroHealth Medical Center. According to the hospital, Whitaker was in critical condition as of 3:40 p.m. Wednesday.
Neighbors said the 10-year-old girl, Deonche Lewis, tried to save her younger brother before he was killed. Markeia Smith are her two children had only been living in the home for about three weeks. The landlord told NewsChannel5 he had no idea Whitaker was living in the house.
Police said at least 11 shots were fired during the incident, and officers are combing the area for the shell casings.
The Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, which released a mugshot of Whitaker, said he has at least two prior incidents on his record, including being charged with aggravated vehicular assault in October 2006.
Keep checking newsnet5.com for more information.
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