Teen sought in police chase death charged in 2018 shooting

CLEVELAND » Authorities say a teenager being sought in the accidental shooting death of a driver during a police chase in Cleveland last month is also accused of a shooting two years ago that wounded two people, including a 5-year-old girl.

Cleveland.com reports that the 16-year-old youth, suspected of being a member of a street gang, is charged in Cuyahoga

County Juvenile Court with involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide and possessing a weapon with a felony record. Federal marshals are seeking him on an arrest warrant issued last month.

Authorities allege that the youth was in the passenger seat of a stolen sport utility vehicle that Cuyahoga Heights police began chasing June 9 on Interstate 77 after an attempted break-in at a Valley View gun store. Authorities allege that at some point during the chase, the teen accidentally shot 19-yearold Earnest Mitchell in the chest.

The SUV then crashed into a ditch near the Worthington Industries steel processing plant in Cleveland, and police reported finding Mitchell dead inside and several people running from the SUV. Police said no officers fired during the chase.

The teenager is also one of two people charged in a March 2018 shooting that police allege was retaliation over the killing of a 15-year-old gang member. Authorities allege that the defendant, then 14, was one of two teenagers who fired several shots at a 16-yearold youth, who was hit in the chest but survived. A 5-year-old girl walking with her mother nearby was hit in the leg by a stray bullet. The 16-year-old defendant has denied charges in that case.