DeWine orders flags lowered for Cleveland officer killed in shooting

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Gov. Mike DeWine has ordered flags at half-staff starting on the Fourth of July after a shooting in Cleveland left an officer dead.

The governor has requested flags to remain lowered from Thursday through sunset on the day of Cleveland Officer Jamieson Ritter’s funeral. The order applies to all state and U.S. flags on public buildings and grounds in Cuyahoga County and at the Ohio Statehouse, as well as Rhodes State Office Tower in Columbus.

“On this Independence Day, this tragedy is a painful reminder of the sacrifices our law enforcement and military members make in support of freedom and public safety,” DeWine said.

Ritter, 27, was shot just before 1 a.m. Thursday while looking near Wade Park for a man wanted on a felonious assault charge. The suspect, 24-year-old Delawnte Hardy, tried to escape on a bike before pulling out a gun and firing shots, FOX 8 reported.

The identity of the officer, who was a four-year veteran of the department, was revealed Thursday afternoon. Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd said Ritter’s death is hitting everyone on the force hard. The city’s mayor, Justin Bibb, asked for the city to pray for the officer’s family and for all the officers, especially in light of the July 4 holiday.

After the shooting, Hardy was arrested and booked into the Cuyahoga County jail, FOX 8 reported.

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