CLEVELAND — Cleveland's Buckeye neighborhood paid tribute to murdered business owner Larry Manno and demanded a greater police presence in fighting crime.
Dozens of friends, family members and city leaders gathered to celebrate Manno's life and his contributions to the Buckeye community following his Oct. 15 funeral service.
Manno was found brutally beaten by his secretary at his Buckeye Road landscaping office in September, and died weeks later. The case is being investigated as a homicide.
Buckeye neighborhood community leader Rob Render told News 5 there are simply not enough officers on the streets, especially in Cleveland's fourth district.
“The fourth district is the largest police district in the state of Ohio and it’s undermanned,” Render said.
“There’s only so many police that you can graduate and then you have an attrition of 100 every year.”
"Buckeye has been struggling since the crack cocaine epidemic in the 1980’s and its never recovered.”
Render said the Buckeye neighborhood needs more resources in fighting crime, and said the upcoming closing of the Buckeye-Shaker Square Community Development is a big loss.
Meanwhile, residents and members of the Manno family are hoping police will soon create and release a composite drawing of the suspect.
Manno's brother-in-law, Bob Allen, said people in the Buckeye neighbor are extremely concerned a killer is still at large.
“That person is out there, he could be doing this somebody else in this neighborhood, or somebody in his neighborhood," Allen said.
“Everybody has got to come together and get this guy off the streets, otherwise her could do it again.”
Crimestoppers is offering a $2,500 reward for a tip that leads to an arrest in this case.
