Shooting Prompts Community Meeting In Cleveland Heights

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — Following the shooting of a woman on Windsor Road last week, Cleveland Heights Police Chief Annette Mecklenburg is calling a community safety meeting. The chief and two officers will take resident questions about neighborhood safety.

The meeting will be held Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. at the Cleveland Heights Community Center. Attendees should go to the Senior Center Multipurpose Room.

Police said that last Thursday, a woman was shot while driving on Windsor, near Roanoke Road. Detectives got a description of another vehicle that was in the area and believed to be involved. There was no description of the driver.

Then, on Monday, an officer on patrol in the city saw a car matching the description of the one seen at the scene of the shooting. When the officer attempted to stop the car, it sped up and fled. The vehicle pulled behind a building and two men got out of the car and ran. Police were able to catch both men after a short pursuit.

Detectives identified the driver of the car as the suspect in last Thursday's shooting. The suspect, a 22-year-old from Cleveland, has been charged with felonious assault. He is being held on a $50,000 cash or surety bond.

Detectives are still investigating this incident, according to a post from the Cleveland Heights Police Department on Nextdoor.

Comments on the post describing both the incident and the community meeting suggest a rising tension among residents of Cleveland Heights.

"I am greatly disappointed that you decided that a "safety" meeting with the entire city is a satisfactory response to the crime that is taking place on the north side of Cleveland Heights," wrote one resident. "We need a plan on this side of town. We need to know that you will work with us to make this a safe neighborhood that does not need investigations, searches, apprehensions. We need a plan that inhibits and deters crime here on our Noble neighborhood streets."

Others weren't so quick to dismiss the meeting, saying instead it would be a positive step for the community.

"I welcome the meeting and see no problem including the whole city. We need the whole city to care about the Noble region of our city. We don’t live in a bubble," said another resident on Nextdoor.

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