CLEVELAND — A man accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend early Wednesday morning by "popping off shots" to celebrate the new year has now been charged in connection with her death.
Sheldon Stevens Jr., 38, is charged with reckless homicide, a third-degree felony, according to Cleveland Municipal Court records.
Officers responded to the 5900 block of Merrill Avenue around 12:15 a.m. Wednesday after a man called police screaming that his girlfriend wasn't breathing.
The report states that after arriving, police found Stevens laying on top of the woman and she was bleeding from the face. The woman was transported to a MetroHealth Medical Center and pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
The woman has been identified as Erika Miranda, 31, according to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office.
According to police, Stevens and the Miranda were having a New Year's celebration and he was "popping off shots" when one of the bullets struck the woman.
Police found a gun at the scene. Stevens was taken into custody and charged.
He appeared in court on Thursday for an arraignment. His bond was set at $500,000.
The incident was one of 13 shootings that happened in Cleveland on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
His next court date is scheduled for Jan. 13 at 9:00 a.m.
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