Suspect in fatal shooting at eatery had long juvenile record

A 20-year-old man charged with killing a teenage sandwich shop employee in a Cleveland suburb has an extensive juvenile criminal record dating back to when he was 11, according to court records.

Daveion Perry was charged in Cleveland Heights on Wednesday with aggravated murder, kidnapping, aggravated robbery and other crimes. His attorney, Charles Swanson, said Perry was “upset with what he did,” but Swanson wouldn’t elaborate.

Perry is being held in Cleveland Heights city jail on a $1 million bond.

Cleveland Heights police say Perry walked into a Mr. Hero store Oct. 14 and fired a shot toward the kitchen, striking 15-year-old Sunny Ravi Patel of Highland Heights in the back of the head, before fleeing with money from a cash drawer. Relatives say Sunny, a high school sophomore at Mayfield High School, had planned to watch a Cleveland Indians playoff game with friends that night but decided instead to help out at the shop owned by his uncle.

Records show that a dozen criminal cases were filed against Perry between 2007 and 2012 in Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court. Some were as minor as jaywalking; others were as serious as robbery, assault and gun-related charges. He was twice found guilty of theft charges as an 11-year-old. A judge sentenced him in October 2012 as a 16-year-old to an Ohio Department of Youth Services facility until his 21st birthday. He was released in May 2015.

Perry was charged with burglary in May after a 74-year-old woman who lived in the same building reported several breakins at her apartment, including one instance when she found Perry inside her apartment, a police report said. He pleaded guilty to burglary last month and was free on bond, pending his sentencing next week.

Swanson didn’t return messages Thursday seeking comment on Perry’s criminal record.

Perry was arrested Sunday night by detectives staking out stores and neighborhoods in search of a suspect in the Mr. Hero shooting and an armed robbery the day after at a Subway store in University Heights. Detectives spotted Perry enter a Dollar Store dressed in the same clothes he wore in the previous robberies, a police report said.

Dollar Store employees told police the suspect quickly left when he realized no one was behind the checkout counter, according to police. Perry ran after officers confronted him outside the store and they found him hiding inside a garage, police said.

Police Chief Annette Mecklenburg said Wednesday that Perry was also charged with felonious assault for pointing a gun at two officers. A report from the arrest said gunfire was exchanged. Police have said Perry had a .32-caliber handgun when he was arrested.

“And even when they do, there are only a few treatment options and all of them are bad. The only thing your doctor can do is pump you up with scary medications like anti-depressants, anticonvulsants, steroids, or prescription pain killers that can cause weight gain, rashes, internal bleeding, and liver and kidney damage, and even thoughts of suicide.”

“No wonder many doctors just tell you to ‘go home and live with it” adds Mr. Jones.