CLEVELAND — It’s been nearly a year and a half since a Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority police officer shot and killed Maalik Amir Roquemore, and Friday, Attorney General Dave Yost said a grand jury declined to indict the officer responsible.
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Roquemore’s mother, Kimberly, said her son’s death should have never happened and wants justice and accountability in the case. She wants the officer who killed her son to be indicted.
"Mental illness is not a crime,” shouted Kimberly, who held a rally outside of CMHA Police headquarters. “Justice for Maalik Amir Rocquemore.”
Rocquemore died Sept. 5, 2022.
“Maalik was a black man, a CMHA resident of 12 years, and was killed,” Kimberly said. “Unarmed in the middle of a mental health crisis a few feet away from his front door.”
Days after the incident, police body-cam footage was released, and CMHA Police Chief Andy Gonzales sat down with News 5.
He said an officer investigating a loud noise complaint at The Villages at Riverside Park was flagged down by Rocquemore and attacked.
"As he's [officer] getting out of the vehicle, he opens the door and all of a sudden the male who was flagging him down starts running towards him and literally starts attacking him,” Gonzalez said.
The chief said a Taser was used but didn’t have an effect, and Rocquemore continued to fight with the officer, who eventually fired his weapon twice.
"They need to be educated to de-escalate, to first recognize, and de-escalate such to preserve lives,” Kimberly said.
She said her son, an honors student studying to be a nurse at Cleveland State University, was diagnosed with high-functioning schizophrenia and PTSD.
“His goal was to become a registered nurse and go back to work at Recovery Resources to help the mental health matters community,” Kimberly said.
She said his smile is something she’ll never forget.
“Now I understand about all those smiles that he gave. Those were good deeds. Those were good deeds,” Kimberly said.
Since her son’s death, Kimberly has been working to educate families and advocate for more police training to handle people in crises better. It’s something she said would have spared her son’s life.
"The objective was to recognize… call for backup,” Kimberly said. “There are other things that he could have done versus pulling his gun. I'm standing for all CMHA residents such that this does not happen to them and their families.”
While the Cleveland Police Department has a crisis intervention team, a requirement of a federal consent decree, it remains unclear if CMHA police officers are trained in handling people with mental health issues.
Kimberly said her work is far from over, but she’s found comfort in Cleveland’s social justice community.
"It's unfortunate that I had to join that community, but I'm thankful for that community,” Kimberly said.
News 5 learned the investigation into Rocquemore’s death has been referred to the Ohio Attorney General's Office. Late Friday afternoon, AG Yost confirmed to News 5 that the grand jury declined to return an indictment against the officer.
News 5 contacted Cleveland Police, which played a role in the investigation and CMHA Police for updates on the case. As of Friday afternoon, our specific questions haven’t been answered.
The Maalik Amir Roquemomre Foundation, P.E.A.C.E., has a main goal: Promote empathy and compassion, especially.
Kimberly is hopeful that through the foundation, they can open dialogue around mental and behavioral health, especially within Black and brown communities, and promote awareness and, in turn, education for law enforcement officers.
Through the new foundation, the Roquemore family, friends, and supporters hope they can save lives.
