Mother killed, father and child injured in East Cleveland shooting

EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - A 25-year-old mother died, and a father and child were injured in a Monday night shooting in East Cleveland.

East Cleveland police officers were dispatched to the corner of Hayden Avenue and Superior Avenue around 8:39 p.m. in response to a 911 call. Officers found a vehicle with extensive bullet damage at the scene.

Four people were located inside the vehicle during the incident. Three of them were transported to University Hospital for treatment. The mother, Oceana Pierce of Cleveland Heights, died roughly an hour and a half after the incident.

Hannah Mermis, who lives a few houses away from the intersection, said nothing like this had ever happened this close to her home before.

“All of a sudden we hear shots, really loud, it shook the windows to our house,” she said. “Our five year old woke up and got scared, didn’t know what was going on.”

A child who was also shot in the chest and was grazed in the head by another bullet survived the incident. Police reports add that he was conscious enough to watch television in the hospital.

“It automatically chokes me up a bit thinking that some innocent life could have gotten taken so senselessly,” Mermis, who is also a mother of three kids, said. “We knew that this happens a lot around here. but it makes me want to be as safe as we can, too.”

Authorities are still investigating the shooting and have made no arrests. It is also unclear if all four passengers in the vehicle are related. 19 News reached out to the East Cleveland Police Department for information, and have yet to receive any comments.

No announcement for arraignment has been made for Oceana Pierce.

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