Garfield Heights man charged with aggravated murder in fatal shooting of Lyft driver

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - A 20-year-old man from Garfield Heights is being charged with aggravated murder after a Lyft driver was fatally shot Sunday.

In a release on Thursday, Cleveland Police said that 20-year-old Derrek Dove from Garfield Heights is facing charges of aggravated murder.

According to the criminal complaint, Dove is accused of killing the driver while attempting to rob him of his cell phone.

Investigators are now working to determine if that same suspect is connected to the killing of a second Lyft driver just two days later.

Antoine Latham, 56, was shot in the head inside his car late Sunday night while driving for Lyft.

The shooting happened just before 10 p.m. near East 103rd and Rosehill.

First responders initially thought they were responding to a car crash before discovering Latham suffering from a gunshot wound.

He was taken to the hospital, but later died.

Lyft said it permanently banned the rider and is helping police with the investigation.

Court records show that prosecutors have requested a high bond for Dove.

Early Tuesday morning, officers found a 27-year-old driver shot in the torso and slumped over his steering wheel on East 84th Street.

According to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner, he was identified as Vasyl Shvets from Parma.

Cleveland police confirmed Shvets was also a driver for Lyft.

Cleveland police are investigating both homicides, but don’t believe the two shootings are related.

Below is a statement from Lyft following the second shooting:

Investigators said the only confirmed link between the cases is that both victims drove for Lyft.

Anyone with information is asked to call the police.