CLEVELAND, OHIO – One member of a trio of home invasion suspects was found dead in the back seat of their getaway car following a crash that occurred about ten miles from the crime scene. Police with Euclid and Cleveland are working to piece together the events of early Tuesday morning.
According to Euclid police, three men stormed into a home on Forestview Avenue near East 272nd Street around 3:00 a.m. A 21-year-old resident of the home exchanged gunfire with the intruders and was hit during the shootout. Police found him alert and he was transported to a local hospital for treatment of what was believed to be a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. Responding officers also witnessed a vehicle with “distinct damage” fleeing the scene.
A half-hour later, Cleveland police responded to a report of a single vehicle accident after a car crashed into a tree on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Superior Avenue around 2:30 a.m. While two occupants fled the crash scene on foot, the third occupant was unable to flee. Officers found him in the back seat suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. He was transported by ambulance to University Hospitals, where he died.
At last check, the suspects were still at large, and the investigation was continuing. Police have not released any identities or speculated if the parties knew each other, nor have they mentioned any possible motives or made any arrests.