CLEVELAND — It’s been five years since a 58-year-old woman was fatally shot while walking her dog in McGowan Park, and one resident said the area has hardly improved.
Sheila Wallace was shot twice in January of 2019. Neither a motive nor a relationship between Wallace and her killer has been identified. Her killer was sentenced to 15 years in prison this week.
RELATED: Cleveland man sentenced for killing woman walking her dog
“Even if it was an accident or whatever, I just want to know what possesses a person to fire that many shots at somebody you don't even know for no reason. Like what triggered you, dude?” Wallace’s daughter, Katie, said.
I spoke with a resident who lives near McGowan Park on Thursday. He requested anonymity for fear of his physical safety.
He said he has lived in his home for four decades but has decided to pack his bags as criminal activity in the area continues to worsen.
“Better safe than sorry,” he said.
He described the McGowan Park neighborhood as “extremely bad, but slowly getting better.”
Surveillance video of his provided to News 5 shows one man brandishing a gun near the park while another shows a different man checking vehicles to see if they’re unlocked.
“A lot of drug activity in this neighborhood. A lot people milling around all hours of the night. It's kind of depressing,” he added.
He said a deterrent for crime would be more lighting in and around McGowan Park.
There are several light fixtures throughout the park, but not a single light worked when we were there Thursday night.
Two lights would flicker on for about 10 to 15 seconds before shutting off again.
“The lights haven't worked for over five years. I've called the Division of Parks and Recreation, and they said they weren't responsible for them, that it was the Illuminating Company. I contacted them on many occasions, and I was unable to get any results to have them fixed,” the resident told me.
I reached out to City of Cleveland Communications Specialist Tyler Sinclair for answers.
“This is the first time we’re hearing about light fixtures not working in the park. We ran a report for service requests in that area dating back to over three years ago and found no complaints filed about light issues. It’s important that these issues get reported to us directly so that we can address them, as we cannot fix a problem that we don’t know about,” Sinclair explained.
Sinclair added that the city does not own, operate, or maintain McGowan Park light fixtures. He said that would fall under FirstEnergy’s purview.
“That being said, we will make sure to contact them so they are aware of these issues and can address them,” Sinclair noted.
I also reached out to FirstEnergy for more information.
“At the Illuminating Company, the safety and well-being of our customers are our top priority. We understand that streetlights are essential to our communities, from supporting safety and security to helping to project an image of a thriving place that welcomes residents and visitors,” stated First Energy Advanced Communications Representative Hannah Catlett.
While Catlett was unable to provide information related to the McGowan Park lights on Thursday, she said she is looking into it and hopes to provide more details on Friday.
In the meantime, Catlett said FirstEnergy relies on power outage reports from customers. Customers can call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) or fill out a form online. Customers will need:
- Their name and phone number (in case we need more information).
- Address where the streetlight is located (nearest house or business address and the nearest cross street).
- Number on the utility pole.
- What is wrong with the streetlight (damaged pole; broken light fixture; light is off at night, on during the day, or flickers).
“Streetlight outages are most commonly reported in the fall months, as the days get shorter, and customers can see that a light is out on their way home from work,” Catlett explained.
When a customer report comes in, FirstEnergy line crews and troubleshooters make streetlight repairs “as quickly as possible.”
If the issue can be resolved at the time of inspection, the light will be fixed right away. However, sometimes, additional issues like these can cause the repair to take longer:
- Additional service-related issues
- Requires engineering involvement.
- Requires item not in stock/available.
Per the tariff related to FirstEnergy’s rate structure and regulation, FirstEnergy is not responsible for patrolling for streetlight outages.
The resident I spoke with said he hopes to see the light fixtures repaired before he moves but is also calling on Cleveland police for more resources.
“They need to hire more officers and have them drive through. I called a week ago and they were here in under five minutes for some illegal activity. Sometimes you get lucky. They do the best they can with what they have to work with,” he said. “Commander Fahey took over at First District. He's made a drastic improvement in the neighborhood and the First District in general. The men and women of the police department are excellent. They're just understaffed. They need more resources. They could make a difference.”
We’ll continue to follow through.
