Six boys shot, one fatally, in Friday night gunfire
CLEVELAND — A
12- year- old boy was killed this weekend in Cleveland, when he and his father were caught in gunfire that injured five other juveniles, at least one critically.
The shooting occurred about 7: 30 p. m. Friday. Five teenagers in hooded jackets were hanging outside One Stop Liquor and Beverage, on Buckeye Road between East 116th and 117th streets, when someone opened fire on them, according to the Cleveland Police Department.
Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia, a police spokeswoman, said the boy — Abdel Latif Bashiti of Parma — and his father were inside a beauty supply store next door, owned by the father, when they heard gunshots and went outside to see what was happening. The boy was shot in the torso and died.
Five teenagers were injured. One, a 16- year- old, was shot in the head. The others were shot in the leg, groin or torso. The 12- yearold boy’s father was not injured.
Cleveland police Chief Calvin Williams said investigators do not know whether the shooting was gang- related.
“We don’t know exactly what spurred this, what happened, but definitely, our hearts go out to the family of the victims here,” Abdel Bashiti Williams said at a news conference. “The only thing we have right now is that kids crossed paths and shots were fired.”
Police believe the shooters were juveniles, Williams said. He said the investigation was fresh and would need time to develop. He implored anyone who was in the area between 7 and 7:30 p.m. on Friday to call homicide detectives or Crime Stoppers.
No arrests have been made.
Abdel’s death shocked a family that had just hosted relatives from out of town for Thanksgiving. Friends of the family told the Plain Dealer that Abdel was helping his father at the store the night he was killed. They described the boy as a good student who loved sports.
As most families continued to celebrate the holiday weekend on Saturday, the relatives of the victims were left to mourn and worry. A group of men and women broke down in tears and were wailing at the shooting scene.
Mayor Frank Jackson and Police Chief Williams also visited the site of the shooting. They addressed the media but could shed few details on what caused the seemingly senseless violence.
“Condolences to the family who lost a child,” Jackson said. “These are all young people. These are all juveniles. We know that when things happen out on the street there’s a lot of conversation and we would like to have as much information as we can get in order to find out who did this.”
Abdel’s aunt, Rashan Bashiti, described Abdel as someone who enjoyed playing with his family and cousins. Bashiti said he liked to go to the store to spend time with his father.
“He was just one of the most lovable kids you’d ever meet,” Mohammad Mator, Abdel’s father’s friend, told the Plain Dealer.
The boy’s death came as Cleveland continues to see a growing number of homicides in recent years.
Last month, a 51-year-old man’s death became the city’s 100th homicide this year. The city logged 136 homicides in 2016, up from 120 in 2015 and 102 in 2014, making last year the deadliest that Cleveland has had in at least a decade.