Cleveland police chief, mayor offer condolences to family of officer killed overnight

A Cleveland police officer was shot around 1 a.m. Thursday and died at the hospital from his injuries.

The slain officer was 27-year-old Jamieson Ritter, who graduated from the University of Syracuse in 2019, was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army National Guard and served with the 134th Field Artillery Regiment as a member of the Ohio Army National Guard, Beacon Journal news partner News 5 Cleveland reported .

Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy "Annie" Todd said in a Thursday morning press conference that Ritter served in the department's third district and has been on the force four years.

"I ask the community: Keep our law enforcement members, men and women, in their prayers," Todd said. "This is a really tough situation, and it’s hitting everyone really hard.”

Police arrested the suspect, 24-year-old Delawnte Hardy, on an aggravated murder charge, News 5 Cleveland reported.

Shortly before 1 a.m., the department's third district received a call to respond to a house at the 1500 block of East 80th Street to issue a warrant for felonious assault to Hardy, who Todd said is from a local suburb. Hardy left the house and attempted to leave on a bicycle, she said.

When officers attempted to arrest Hardy, he brandished a gun and fired multiple shots, she said.

Todd said police are not looking for any other suspects in the shooting.

She said she has talked to Ritter's family several times.

"I can't even begin to express how they feel," she said. "It's absolutely devastating."

Todd added: "There’s nothing I can say to them that’s going to make it better, but I can tell you that we will 100% be there for them and support them."

Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb also spoke at the press conference.

“We just ask the residents of Cleveland to pray for this family, pray for the men and women of our police department, especially as we celebrate this fourth of July holiday and the freedom that we have in this country," Bibb said. "That freedom depends on the men and women of our police department, not just in Cleveland but all across the nation."

Patrick Williams covers growth and development for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at pwilliams@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @pwilliamsOH.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland police chief, mayor offer condolences to family of officer killed overnight