2 Children Killed In Suspected Arson, Homicide In Cleveland

CLEVELAND — Four people were killed, including two children, on E. 63rd Street on Tuesday morning, Cleveland police announced.

Officers were called to an open lot on the street at about 8 a.m. Callers had reported a man laying down in the lot. Police found the man in the lot and discovered he had gunshot wounds to his head and chest. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

The Cleveland Police homicide unit and the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office were both called to the scene to investigate. While looking into the death, police began canvassing the neighborhood looking for witnesses.

At a home on E. 63rd, near the lot, police saw a 6-year-old and 2-year-old child through a window. Officers got into the house and found a 25-year-old woman with gunshot wounds to her back and stomach. She was pronounced dead.

The two children were also dead, possibly because of carbon monoxide smoke inhalation, police said.

There were signs of arson in the house, including a heavy smell of smoke and an accelerant. Police were ordered out of the home. Cleveland Fire then cleared the home and determined it was safe for investigators to come back in.

The Medical Examiner's Office will determine the final cause of death for the children, police said.