CLEVELAND, OH – On Sunday, the Cleveland Police Department was alerted to a shooting incident at the junction of East 117th Street and Union Avenue, shortly after 4 p.m. The victim was a 4-year-old boy, who had sustained gunshot injuries to his right forearm, right thigh, and abdomen.
The boy’s mother had taken him to a local hospital where he was reported to be in stable condition despite severe injuries, which included a part of his stomach being removed and a broken arm.
Initially, the boy’s mother informed officers that the incident was a possible drive-by shooting. However, subsequent investigation and the discovery of blood and a shell casing in the back seat of the mother’s vehicle called this claim into question. Later, the mother revealed to a detective that her 15-year-old son had been responsible for shooting the boy at an address on Craven Avenue.
The incident occurred while the mother was delivering food to a patient. Her two sons, along with two other children, were with her at the time. The shooting took place when the mother was inside the patient’s home, with the news broken to her by a 15-year-old girl who was present at the scene. The mother quickly transported the injured 4-year-old and the other children to her father’s house on East 117th Street, before rushing him to the hospital.
Officers found the 15-year-old alleged shooter hiding in the attic of the East 117th Street residence and detained him without incident. The firearm believed to be used in the shooting was recovered from under a deck in the residence’s backyard. The 15-year-old boy is currently hospitalized pending a psychological evaluation.