Crime & Safety
Teenagers Accused In Killing Of Cleveland Detective
Three teenagers have been accused in the killing of a Cleveland police detective.
CLEVELAND — David McDaniel, 18, has been accused of shooting and killing Cleveland police detective James Skernivitz and another man, Scott Dingess, prosecutors said.
"Sadly, these types of random, senseless homicides happen in our community nearly every day. This time the victims were a police officer on duty to make our community a better place and a citizen who volunteered to assist him,” O’Malley said. “Two families are now without fathers and the entire community is left heartbroken due to yet another instance of senseless gun violence.”
On Sept. 3, McDaniel and two other teenagers approched Skernivitz's car, pulled out a gun and fired multiple times, prosecutors said. After the shooting, the group ran off, prosecutors said.
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Two other people — Brittany Cremeans, 24, and Antonio Darby, 27, have also been accused of involvement in the killings, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley announced.
Cleveland EMS took both Skernivitz and Dingess to a hospital, where they were later pronounced dead.
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Cleveland police worked with the FBI and ATF on the investigation. McDaniel and the two teenagers were then identified, prosecutors said. McDaniel and a 17-year-old were taken into police custody on Sept. 6 and a 15-year-old was taken into custody on Sept. 8.
Prosecutors believe Cremeans and Darby lied to investigators and helped dispose of the suspected murder weapons.
McDaniel has been indicted on the following charges:
- Four counts of aggravated murder
- Two counts of murder
- Two counts of aggravated robbery
- Two counts of felonious assault
- One count of tampering with evidence
Both juveniles face charges in Juvenile Court including aggravated murder, murder, aggravated robbery and felonious assault. Both juveniles have denied the charges and are being held at the Juvenile Detention Center. Their next court date is Oct. 27.
McDaniel is being held at Cuyahoga County Jail on a $3 million bond. He will be arraigned on Sept. 22 at Cuyahoga County Justice Center.
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