CLEVELAND — Wilbert McCormick loved his family, community and job.
“He loved serving the community,” said Venita McCormick, Wilbert’s wife.
He made a career out of helping people, first in the Navy and then as a Cleveland Firefighter.
"My husband served on the Cleveland Fire Department for 30 years. He lost his life, but he saved so many lives,” she said.
Tim Daag is a retired Cleveland Firefighter who worked alongside Wilbert McCormick for decades.
“Great firefighter, great human being. In fact, he reminds me of the four absolutes. Honesty, purity, unselfishness and love. That was Wilbert to his core,” Daag said.
Venita and Wilbert went for a walk one evening like they often did. It was a beautiful summer evening, it was July 21, 2020.
The couple was walking in the area near Forest Hill Park, near the track. They were on the sidewalk when police said people in cars in a parking lot started shooting.
“A bullet struck my husband in the back of the head; that’s when my life changed. My husband fell to the ground,” explained Venita.
The 62-year-old retired Cleveland Firefighter died. “It’s something you don’t ever forget,” she said.
“I don’t believe he was the intended target. That’s the sad part of this; there is no direct connection between the victim and the suspects,” said Cleveland Police Detective Tim Cramer. Police believe Wilbert McCormick was an innocent bystander who was killed while enjoying a walk. “It’s probably one of the saddest cases because he’s just walking, just walking; he has no involvement in what’s going on."
Cramer said police are trying to put a name to the face of a man in a grainy picture. They are also looking for the drivers of several cars in that parking lot.
Cramer said even the smallest bit of information could unlock this murder mystery that haunts the McCormick family and police.
“What they saw, what they heard, describe a vehicle to me, put a name to the face of the person running away from the scene,” explained Cramer.
Venita said her husband was part of the fabric of the community. Now, she is begging the community for answers.
“I’m asking for help,” she said.
Four years before, her husband was shot and killed. One of their children, Lennell McCormick, was killed by a hit-skip driver at East 69th Street and Kinsman Avenue. Both cases are still unsolved.
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for information leading to an arrest in the case of Wilbert McCormick. All tips with Crime Stoppers are anonymous. Tuesday would have been Wilbert McCormick’s 67th birthday. His family said the best gift they could receive is information leading to the people involved in his death.
“Just come forward, do the right thing, do the right thing,” said Rosemary Brown, Venita’s sister.
