East Cleveland police identify several suspects in Labor Day weekend shootings

EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio (WJW) – Police in East Cleveland have identified several suspects they said were involved in a string of shootings over Labor Day weekend that left one man dead and nine others injured.

Police made the announcement during a press conference Tuesday afternoon. The three separate shootings happened within 90 minutes during the Shaw High School reunion weekend. The gunfire erupted as large crowds gathered for parties on Euclid Avenue, however officials with the city and Shaw High Alumni said the violence was not related to the celebration in any way.

On Sept. 2, around 1 a.m., East Cleveland police responded to a shooting at Euclid Avenue and Collamer. Two shooting victims were found at that location and rushed to a hospital.

The second shooting happened about an hour later at a Mobil gas station where 7 gunshot victims were located and taken to hospitals.

The third shooting happened around 2:30 a.m. on Elwood Road where police found 23-year-old Erin Strozier shot in the head. He died at the hospital the following week.

“It was gunfire after gunfire, it just kept going,” said Ken Lundy, the city’s acting police chief.

Police said with the help of surveillance cameras, four suspects involved in the rash of violence have been identified, and officers are actively working to identify two more. Lundy said he is in talks with the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office to determine what charges will be appropriate.

“There were a lot of shooters that night,” he said.

Lundy also described the chaos of the night, noting how his officers had to fight through crowds to get to victims, and how he transported one of the victims to the hospital himself. He also talked about the vulnerability of officers in a situation like that.

“Me, as a police officer, I was terrified,” he said.

During the 2022 Shaw reunion weekend, 10 people were injured in shootings. Lundy said the city and police department prepared for this weekend with cameras and an increased police presence. The violence, he said, is concerning and they’re already talking about increased safety for next year’s reunion.

Investigators are asking anyone with information to call the East Cleveland Detective Bureau at (216)681-2162 or Crime Stoppers at (216)252-7463.

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