Police are investigating after an officer was shot and killed Thursday night in Cleveland, according to the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association.
According to a report from Beacon Journal partner News 5 Cleveland, police said the shooting occurred around 10 p.m. in the 3200 block of West 65th Street near Storer Avenue.
The officer, later identified as Detective James Skernivitz, was rushed to MetroHealth Medical Center where he died from his injuries, according to the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association.
Police said another person was confirmed dead on the scene in Cleveland’s Stockyard neighborhood, but was not a suspect.
Skernivitz’s identity initially was withheld pending the notification of his family, as he is married with children, police said. Skernivitz was a 25-year veteran of the Cleveland Division of Police, authorities said.
“We definitely need the prayers of the people in the city. This officer was out doing what all police officers do— trying to protect the people the city — and he gave his life so we ask that you kind of give his family a little room,” said Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams.
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