The Observation Deck

A neighbor stands out front of 2051 Waterbury Ave. as the Corner arrives.

At around 9pm a person was killed on Waterbury Ave. by a single shot, two more shots
were fired, and another person at the "party" was also wounded.

Police believe they have rounded most up. As of 11pm there were six people down at the jail.

More in the am, was there all evening and the story well, that is something else.

The good news if any murder can have good news, is that everyone knew each other.

It was not a random act of violence.

More in the AM


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Well, murders ARE generally committed by and against parties that know each other.

What concerns me, and enrages me, is that we now have the type of people who "party" with guns and shoot them off without regard for anyone or anything moving into Lakewood. It's totally unacceptable. If it is allowed to continue, kiss the value of your home goodbye - forget the economy, your home will be virtually worthless as people flee for the outer suburbs en masse.

It will take a concerted effort by the city, the police, and all citizens to put a stop to this. In the 70's Lakewood was known as a tough town - you did not drive through with a missing taillight, or heaven forbid, intoxicated, because you KNEW you'd get caught and dealt with harshly. I think Lakewood has lost that reputation, and it needs to work to get it back ASAP.

Residents should aggressively defend their neighborhoods. You can tell if a house is occupied by too many people - call the city. Junk cars on the street - call the police. Loud parties - call the police. If people know they'll be hassled in Lakewood, they'll look somewhere else to park their sorry self's.

Landlords who do not keep up their properties cannot command top dollar. As the price of the unit falls, the lower rent attracts people who previously could not afford to live in Lakewood. While that alone is not always bad, per se, it does allow more marginal groups to move in. By marginal, I mean shiftless, anti-social types who do not follow rules or care about neighbors or a city. Enforce housing codes!

These are all things that everyone knows need to be done. Nothing earth-shattering or unique. Where is the indignation by solid, normal Lakewood citizens? With all the moaning and whining the last few years about crime, why is it getting worse and not better?

A woman was held up at gunpoint in her own home with her children in the house recently. Now this "shooting party." My goodness, even I'm getting embarrassed to live in Lakewood. How long can I keep defending it to those who tell me I'd be smart to get out?


Want to add that I've read that the home where the shooting occurred was known by the police to be a "site of drug activity." Really, then why the hell wasn't the hammer dropped? You mean the police KNOW there's drug activity and sit around and twiddle their thumbs? Don't tell me they need to make a case and gather evidence and all that - why can't they get in their face? Make it painfully clear they are being watched, followed, that they are going to be caught. Wouldn't they move to a place where its easier to conduct business?

"It was around 9 pm when a single muffled shot could be heard,"said one of the only
witnesses to the murder shooting at 2051 Waterbury Ave. "Then a couple seconds later I
heard two shots clear as day. Then I saw a Burgandy SUV, with a white stripe take off
from there headed north. The white girl driving the SUV shouted back to a black man
driving a dark colored Honda Element, "We have to get out of here, they offed him!" Both
cars headed north through the Waterbury Coach House's parking lot and down the street,


This witness who lives in the area, said the house has been trouble for some time, and that
some of the people living there had been tagging 3-13/Detroit around the neighborhood.


A neighbor watches as the coroner arrives. It was dreadful watching this. The only thing
more dreadful was the insensitive bastards trying to get a shot of the body being pulled out. The cause of death was a single gun shot to the forehead at point blank range.

The other victim was hit in the leg in the driveway, as the shooter got away.


Meanwhile a half a block away on Waterbury, the police surrounded a house that was the
girlfriend of one of those involved.


In this enhanced photo you can see five of the police.


The street looked peaceful, but man was it in turmoil!


But I had to leave to get over to Lakewood Ave. where there was a potential hostage situation
as someone had thought someone broke into the back door and was hiding in the attic.


The fire department gets the ladder to the window.


SWAT head up the ladder.


A SWAT Team member breaks out the window. This a very dangerous situation: a small
window, dark attic, shooter, if there had been one, has the angle, the surprise, and the
best first shot. SWAT and Lakewood Police and Fire are really earning their money now!


With the window open, and now coverage from two angles, SWAT enters from the back,
while the officer on the ladder provides cover.


At about 1:30am Mayor Mike Summers gets an update from SWAT, Police and Fire. As of
this time, the police had about a half-a-dozen people in custody and some of them were
talking up a storm.

By the end of early morning, police and SWAT had visited Waterbury Ave. (2 locations), Lakewood Ave, (1 location), Elbur Ave. (1 Location), Quail (1 location). Whew what a night!


7am the same morning the ambulance and police were back at Quail. Pulling someone
out of the apartment on the corner, related to last night.


They had also arrested three more potential members. While the police are saying not
gang related, the neighbors said, "They all wear black hoodies, run together, and tag the
neighborhood with the same thing."


Police sit them down while waiting for back-up.

So to recap in daylight...


The girlfriend's place on Waterbury...


The house on Lakewood Ave. they thought they were hiding in....


...with the broken out window.


And the house where it all started at 9pm. I predict this will have massive fallout
throughout the city. This, as one of many party houses with activity, will certainly bring
in a wild and varied assortment of "friends" too. As of this morning nearly 10 people had
been taken into custody. I believe most were talking.

Some of the major figures in this nightmare, came from the Youth Re-Entry Program in
Lakewood's Hidden Village. Hidden Village was also the home to the man who robbed a
kid at gunpoint at Emerson last winter!

As I leave Waterbury to go to breakfast at The Coffee Pot, I see a familiar image...


As if asking why, oh why has this neighborhood turned so.

Meanwhile a little farther up the street...


Stay tuned for the most complete coverage of this, and other important events in Lakewood.


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UPDATE

Two people just walked into the police station at about 12:30pm today. The male was
there to turn himself in and tell police everything they saw and what happened at the
party. The male had been there at the party.

His girlfriend went outside of the police station to talk on the phone. A person smoking a
cigarette overheard her talking. She said that they had gone over to buy weed from a
guy named Ron. While they were there two males entered the party wearing ski masks,
and proceeded to try to steal the weed, and money.

They went directly over to this guy and put a gun to his head asking for the weed
and money. It was then when the shooter pulled the trigger with the gun against "Ron's"
forehead killing him instantly. The robbers then took off with one of them shooting
another person in the leg as they fled.

The girl went on to say she thinks she knows who set the whole thing up, because of
dealer's girlfriend and her suspicious nature. That she believed Ron's girlfriend was kind of
two-timing on him. She had been there every night for months, and last night she was not
there.

Then the girl on the phone left the area.

Thanks for the tip!


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Jim O'Bryan wrote:From Lakewood Police

From: Chief Timothy J. Malley
Re: News Release 12-000173

The Lakewood Police Department investigated the report of gunshots at 2051 Waterbury on 1-6-12 at 9:27PM. Upon arrival officers found Charles E. Wilson, 17, of 2013 W104 Cleveland, dead from a gunshot wound. Located outside of the residence was Frederick Burt, 20yrs, of 2013 W 104th, Cleveland. He had a gunshot wound to the leg and was transported to Metro Hospital.

Investigation is ongoing by the Lakewood Police Department and the Cuyahoga County Coroners Office. Several individuals have been arrested in relation to this case, charges will be filed by Monday January 9th, 2012. Evidence has been collected and will be submitted to the Coroners Office for testing. One firearm has been impounded in relation to this case.

An updated news release will be issued by the Office of the Chief of Police on Monday January 9th.

This would not run parallel to the story the girl on the phone said in the lobby.

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Sickening. 17 years old and dead.

All the drama of the underclass: drug dealing, cheating girlfriends, two-timing, and
set-ups. Sounds like a bad TV show.

There has to be a loud, concerted, determined push back by good people in this city.
I refuse to live like this.

Grace O'Malley wrote:There has to be a loud, concerted, determined push back by good people in this city.
I refuse to live like this.

It's not going to happen.

The City tried to do something about Hidden Village and got nowhere. To a great extent this is out of the hands of the Mayor and Council and people of Lakewood.

People don't move to Bay Village because they really like 900 square foot bungalows. They move to escape situations like this. They move because they are afraid. Once people start thinking a City has reached the point of no return, it has. And no amount of happy talk will change that.

There is a deliberate effort on the part of Cuyahoga County institutions to degrade the quality of life in Lakewood. People like to pretend that it isn't so. They think the solution is to pretend harder.

I suppose if we had the resources to invest in housing and development and redevelopment we might have a chance, but we don't. Or rather we choose to use those resources for bigger and better raises for people who hate the City so much they can't stand the thought of living here. Here is a thought everyone likes to avoid: What is the taxable value of a house that cannot be rented and cannot be sold?

So, according to the neighbors, the house and its residents were a problem. Michael Sangiacomo at the PD quoted a neighbor who stated that the police had been called many times but "nothing has been done."

Sorry, if I see crap going on in a house near me and I call the police, I better see some action. And not only by the police - they should notify the city to contact the owner and issue a warning that the tenants are causing problems. You need to put immediate and continued pressure on the residents and the owners to the point that they are being harassed. That's what they do in Bay and Westlake and all the other cities that our residents are moving to.

Please don't whine to me that there isn't enough money or cops to take care of the job - there are fewer people here than in the 70's when Lakewood was called "The Safest City in America." Just keep slacking off and guess what? Eventually, NO amount of money will be enough to stop the slaughter.

Remember, perception is reality. The cops need to get tough, get in peoples faces, be VISIBLE all over the city, and regain the the old Lakewood reputation.

Grace O'Malley wrote: The cops need to get tough, get in peoples faces, be VISIBLE all over the city, and regain the the old Lakewood reputation.

You're absolutely right. When it comes right down to it, the cops need to get tough...



Too tough??

Ridiculous.

Being tough on CRIME is not the same as ignoring civil liberties. When law enforcement cannot differentiate between the two is when there is a breakdown. Being tough on crime means actually doing the job you were hired to do - watch out for suspicious behavior, investigate crime, be visible and accessible, follow through on investigations and complete all tasks.

The main thing I've noticed about the difference between Lakewood and East Nashville (which is more of a Tremont-type neighborhood) is that for the past two weeks of being back home, I've heard nothing but sirens all day long. Actually, I heard more sirens in the first weekend of being at home than in my two months of living in East Nashville... and I was warned about not living in East Nashville. Not exaggerating this at all, either.

LPD certainly has it's presence here in Lakewood. One murder in a private home (as opposed to a public parking lot, etc.) doesn't mean the police force has no presence and they aren't being tough. Lakewood is safe and has always been safe. Tougher housing laws (thanks to FitzGerald) and a no-nonsense mayor will hopefully keep the trend of it being safe going.

I feel safe coming back to Lakewood and I feel safe leaving my parents alone here. But it's hard to judge Lakewood and the state it's in, when all someone sees is Lakewood from the inside. It took a 570 mile move for me to realize just how present the police and the neighbors in Lakewood are.

Grace O'Malley wrote:Remember, perception is reality.

Well said. One can step outside of their Lakewood home every day and either see the horrific slaughter in the streets, or they can see a community with a hard working police force, approachable and reachable mayor and city council, an abundant mix of for-profit and non-profit organizations, many churches, top notch school system, a 5 minute walk from a gorgeous lake and a 10 minute commute to all things DowntowN Cleveland with little or no traffic.

Perception is reality, folks. It affects our daily lives.

Safe? Relative to East Cleveland its safe. But if you live on Waterbury, I bet right now you don't feel safe.

I never felt particularly "unsafe" in Lakewood, but I nevertheless am appalled that a murder of a young person occurred that was the result of a drug deal/robbery. This is not the Lakewood I want to live in - one murder is one too many.

I am enraged and you should be, too. The neighbors have told reporters that the house was well known as a trouble spot. Just what actions did the city and police take when they were alerted to this threat? Did someone drop the ball here? Could this have been averted?

We can't let this continue. While you and I perceive Lakewood as a desirable community, it has already been seen by some as declining. What will this murder contribute to that perception?

I don't live on Waterbury, I live a few streets away though. Feels pretty safe over here. Minus the weirdo that sends me Christmas cards with no return address, yet still signs his name on it.

Quit shrugging your shoulders - just because you think you weren't affected, think of how someone on that street feels right now. Think of what someone who has a home for sale on that street will have to deal with - who would buy a house on a street that had a murder?

This has serious implications for ALL of Lakewood. I live quite far from that area but I'm not going to brush it off as someone else's problem. It happened in Lakewood, MY Lakewood, the place I live and have to constantly defend.

I'm not chicken little. I feel safe in Lakewood, I walk around at night, I leave the windows open in the summer and I leave items in my yard. But if we allow this element to think they can move in and do this to Lakewood, then I won't be able to do that much longer and that makes me very unhappy. I want to stay here - I'm not moving out. But I am not willing to sit idly by and let happen what may.