Euclid police release more details about shooting

Officer involved placed on paid leave while incident is investigated by state

Euclid police on July 10 released more details related to a July 8 officer-involved shooting.

The officer involved in the incident has been placed on paid administrative leave while the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is conducting its investigation.

According to a news release from the department, officers in the early morning hours July 8 were investigating a hit-skip crash on Lakeland Boulevard.

The officers allegedly heard gunfire coming from the area of a nearby business, identified in an earlier police news release as the Midway Lounge.

Uniformed officers immediately responded to the area and saw an adult man standing in the back parking lot and ordered him to stop.

After initially stopping, the man allegedly got into a car and drove toward a marked police cruiser with its overheard lights activated in the driveway to the parking lot. After stopping again, the man allegedly “rapidly accelerated his vehicle” toward an officer who was on foot in the driveway area. The officer fired multiple rounds from his department-issued gun as he moved out of the path of the oncoming vehicle.

The suspect allegedly continued driving the wrong way on Lakeland Boulevard and then down East 222nd Street exit ramp onto Interstate 90, going westbound in the eastbound lanes.

According to the department, police vehicles were able to parallel the suspect’s vehicle driving in the westbound lanes. After traveling about 2 miles in the wrong direction, the suspect’s vehicle allegedly launched over the median barrier and into the westbound lanes, striking a guardrail where it finally came to a stop.

Euclid officers immediately rendered medical aid to the suspect until EMS arrived, according to the release. The suspect was transported to an unnamed area hospital to treat his injuries, which included a gunshot wound.

According to the release, the suspect’s wrong way driving caused a crash on Interstate 90 and one person was transported to an area hospital with unknown injuries.

BCI was called in by the department to be the primary investigative agency for the use of force by police.

“We ask for patience while the outside investigation is being completed,” the news release sent by Captain Mitch Houser stated.

Houser said the department is not releasing the name of the officer placed on administrative leave at this time.

“We ask for patience while the outside investigation is being completed.” — News release from Euclid Police, sent by Captain Mitch Houser