Tragedy struck Lakewood yesterday morning when 19 News reporter Winnie Dortch was seriously injured in a shooting incident that left one man dead, according to Lakewood police. In what outlets are describing as a domestic violence event, Cleveland19 News reports that Dortch underwent surgery and is currently recovering.
The authorities received calls just before 8 a.m. about a dispute on Chase Avenue between Merl Avenue and Clifton Boulevard, shots were heard by officers en route to the scene where they discovered Dortch and Bryant Carter, a 34-year-old Bedford man, down on the sidewalk with gunshot wounds, police have identified Carter as the deceased. According to News 5 Cleveland, a gun was recovered at the scene, and police believe both individuals knew each other before this incident.
WOIO 19 News has rallied around Dortch, with News Director Brian Sinclair expressing their deep concern, "This morning, our friend and colleague Winnie Dortch was the victim of a brutal domestic violence attack," Sinclair stated in a report obtained by News 5 Cleveland. He went on to extend thoughts not only to Dortch and her family but also to "the many other victims of domestic violence in our community."
Lakewood Police Captain Gary Stone shared that they believe Carter took his own life after shooting Dortch, whose injuries are serious. Meanwhile, the local community has felt ripples of shock and concern, with Father Kevin Elbert from St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church telling 3News, “Its a tragedy," and stressing the event's proximity to a space regarded as sanctified, lamenting any loss of life as a "tragic event, especially in a place that's holy ground."
