CLEVELAND — Cleveland police are investigating after an eighth-grade boy who had just left Marion-Sterling Elementary School was shot in an adjacent field at East 30th Street and Cedar Avenue.
Cleveland Metropolitan School District officials said that the 15-year-old boy left the school around 10:30 a.m. with his aunt, and shortly after he left, he was "attacked with a firearm" in a vacant field next to the school.
The boy was transported to the hospital, where he remains in stable condition.
"Violence seems to be the prevailing aspect of life right now, but today especially. I went to a middle school promotion, former school that I worked at. Excellent school, excellent teachers, excellent students. One of the students after being promoted, walked outside and was shot," said Rev. Dr. Vincent Stokes II, New Sardis Primitive Baptist Church.
Stokes continued, "I am wrestling with that in context of you seeing it, students seeing it, the trauma that our youth continue to deal with on a daily basis. Even as you hear the sirens now, we recognize that violence is ongoing and its prevailing, and we need to continue to be on the wall with a clarion call that we no longer want to deal with this type of violence in our communities."
Stokes said his church plans to host a number of activities and programs for students this summer to keep kids active and safe.
The CMSD Division of Safety and Security has obtained leads about who possibly attacked the student and shared the information with Cleveland Police, school officials said.
No arrests have been made.
Police shut down the intersection for about an hour while they investigated. The road has since reopened.
News 5 anchor Tessa DiTirro was on scene in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
