CLEVELAND, Ohio — Three people, including a suspected gunman, are dead after a 14-hour standoff in Cleveland's Mt. Pleasant neighborhood.
Cleveland Police and SWAT shut down part of E. 154th Street Tuesday evening into Wednesday afternoon, calling on an armed man to surrender. The situation ended when police said the suspect died by suicide.
“That’s what we’re running around the city talking about - stopping the violence, this gun violence that’s taking place. And it hits you right upside the head, right in front of you,” said Seti Richardson.
Both Seti and Benny Richardson were talking to investigators Wednesday morning. The men told News 5 that two of their half-brothers and an unrelated woman had died in the situation.
“I’m not 100% sure of all what has taken place. Only the three people in there that died would know that,” Seti said.
Cleveland police held a news conference Wednesday to provide updates on the situation.
Police said they were called to the scene around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday after receiving a call that a man had fatally shot two people and intended to kill himself.
When SWAT entered the house, they went from the basement to the first floor, where they found the man on the second floor.
After SWAT made contact with the man, they were able to confirm that two people were found dead inside.
“Eventually we were able to get a visual on the victims and determine that the two victims mentioned were indeed inside the house and they were expired. It then transitioned from a rescue operation to a barricaded suspect operation,” said Cleveland Deputy Police Chief Ali Pillow.
According to authorities, the man barricaded himself in a second-floor room and had obstacles for officers.
“Our crisis negotiators were here relatively quickly. They tried talking to him. Once we realized that was not working and escalating, that’s when we called in our SWAT,” Deputy Chief Pillow said.
Cleveland's SWAT team was on the scene for nearly 12 hours before a SWAT unit from the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office took over the tactical operations and negotiations.
"Our partners from the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office were gracious enough to replace our SWAT team. It’s a very daunting task to be in those positions that long, holding those bunkers," Pillow explained.
Throughout the night and into the morning, News 5 crews heard pepper balls being fired at the house. Around 10:30 a.m., they heard a single gunshot.
Police said the suspect died by suicide.
“At no point in time, other than when the suspect took his own life, were any shots fired,” Pillow said.
Benny Richardson said SWAT negotiators allowed him to speak to his brother during the barricade situation.
“I just told him to come on out. His family was out here, and it was going to be alright. At that time, I really didn’t know what to say in a situation like that,” he said.
Seti Richardson wished he had had the same chance to talk to his brother.
“Regardless of the state of mind he was in, regardless of what was the last time I saw him, he still was my brother," Seti said. “I think that the law, those guys did their jobs. However, we never know what the outcome could’ve potentially been if given the opportunity to speak.”
The brothers said the two men who died had recently lost their mother and were planning her funeral for Friday.
"I’m sure it was a very difficult time and conversations that were taking place throughout the family," Seti said.
Now, the family is beginning to plan two more funerals as they and investigators work to learn what led up to the deaths.
“It hurts. It hurts but I have to continue to live, just keep them in my prayers,” said Benny.
Seti added, "You don’t always see everyone in the family all the time, but there’s nothing but love. That’s what we have to continue to talk about, the love we all have for one another."
The streets were closed while police and SWAT attempted to negotiate with the man. Neighbors who live nearby were not able to get into their homes due to the closure Tuesday evening but were allowed back after the situation ended.
The identities of the victims and suspect have not been released.
