CLEVELAND — Monday marks the one year since Antwoina Carter died near her home in Cleveland's Glenville neighborhood.
The 26-year-old woman and mother of five was running for her life March 17, 2024, after a stranger fired shots at her while she was driving.
The case involves two Cleveland Police Officers firing their guns after hearing the initial gunfire and seeing Carter's vehicle speeding toward them.
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office has cleared the officers of any criminal wrongdoing. While prosecutors have a clear picture of what happened that day. Carter's mom, Latrice, said she doesn't.
“She loved her family and she loved her children the most and it's been hard without her being here,” Latrice said.
Isaac Tom Monah, the family's attorney, said he's considering a federal civil rights lawsuit in order to get answers.
Events Of March 17, 2024
Police were called to the Carter family home after Antwoina and her mom called police for help.
A window was reportedly shot out of a vehicle in the driveway. Antwoina wasn’t home. Latrice spoke to police.
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office said two Cleveland Police Officers were investigating a “domestic violence disturbance” which they said was an unrelated matter to what unfolded as officers were there collecting information.
Police body camera footage captured gunshots as officers were talking to Latrice and others at the home.
Latrice is heard on the video saying, “That's my daughter's car.. they shooting at my daughter.”
Prosecutors said Antwoina was driving near her home on E. 105th St. in Cleveland.
Surveillance video showed a car turning in front of her and later Antwoina getting in front of it. Prosecutors said Antwoina hit her brakes. Moments later, they said Christopher Stinson, armed with a gun, fired 20 rounds at Antwoina, striking her once in the back.
New Information Released By Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office.
Prosecutors said during the officers' conversation with Latrice, “a volley of gunshots was heard followed by a vehicle driving toward the officers erratically and at a high rate of speed.
Prosecutors said the officers fired eight shots at Antwoina’s vehicle which struck a police cruiser before she crashed at the end of her street. The prosecutor’s office said none of the shots hit Antwoina’s body.
"Having my mom be a firsthand witness, having my little sister, my other little sister, be a firsthand witness it doesn't make it any easier,” said Demeterius Carter, Antwoina’s brother.
Earlier this year, Stinson took a plea deal and was sentenced to 27 to 32-and-a-half years in prison. He pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter, felonious assault and discharging a firearm on or near a prohibited premises.
Lashuwndre Coleman agreed to a plea deal and was sentenced to a year of probation for obstructing official business.
The final suspect, Trinity Ford, has a case still pending. She initially agreed to a plea deal for involuntary manslaughter but later submitted a motion to withdraw the guilty plea. A judge denied the motion and she’s scheduled to be sentenced later this month.
Search for Answers
Nearly a year after Antwoina’s death, her mom and siblings still long for closure.
Demeterius said, "She was this person that would tell you, you got to be strong."
“Antwoina was bright, beautiful,” Latrice said.
She questions police actions that morning.
"How you know you couldn't have saved her if you wouldn't have started firing at her?” Latrice said. “We don't know. I don't know."
Monah said they’ve yet to see a final autopsy report, use of force report and other investigative documents they’ve requested from Cleveland Police.
It’s something lawyers tell me isn’t unusual because the case is still open.
“If you make the normal public records request, you are entitled to a response and likely entitled to a number of or all of those documents,” said attorney Jared Klebnow, of Klebanow Law in Cleveland. “But the city would very likely have the right to redact or not turn over certain documents if there's a pending, active either investigation or criminal case, which in this case, there still is.”
I asked Monah what’s happened with his record’s requests.
“We got redacted records. We still don't have the use of force report. Nothing concrete has been given to us to resolve this issue of transparency or give closure to the family,”
Monah said he’s considering filing a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging excessive force and wrongful death to get those unredacted records.
"If I have to file a federal lawsuit to subpoena those records and get them through discovery, I will be doing just that,” Monah said. "We want to believe that, you know, police activity did not cause Miss Carter's death. Are we going to take the police word for it or the medical examiner word for it? We want to, but if they can show up the evidence. I think that will be more helpful for the family and for the City of Cleveland and its citizens as well when it comes to transparency."
Prosecutor’s Clear Officers
In a February letter, the prosecutor’s office gave a final determination explaining why it cleared the officers of any criminal wrongdoing.
The prosecutor’s office stated, The Medical Examiner’s Office and the Cuyahoga County Forensic Science Lab later determined that the fatal shot did not come from either officer’s firearms.
It states the officers' use of non-fatal deadly force was reasonable under the circumstances, citing the combination of gunshots heard and Antwoina’s car speeding toward the officers in an erratic manner.
I asked former police officer and national policing expert Tim Dimoff about the family’s chances of winning a civil case.
"I would put this on the low end of probability of success because of the two factors that we reviewed with the car coming towards the officer, the shots being fired.” Dimoff said. “The officers were strongly in compliance."
What's Next?
Latrice said she doesn’t know where all of this will lead, but said she won’t give up fighting for her daughter.
"There's nothing no one can do to bring my child back. But if you were wrong, hold yourself accountable for it, whether it was the officers or the people that was in the car, be accountable,” Latrice said. “Because everybody dropped the ball that night, and that's just how I feel."
When I asked Cleveland Police about the case and the family’s request for documents, they told me to file a public records request, which I did.
Police said their administrative review to determine if any department policies were broken is ongoing.
The medical examiner’s office said they can’t release the autopsy report because of the ongoing criminal case.
