A man from Ohio is accused of killing his grandma a few days before he is said to have killed a Cleveland police officer.
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office says that on June 28, Delawnte Hardy, 24, stole his grandmother Beatrice Porter’s gun and shot her in the head while she was living with him. Porter is 63 years old.
Police say Hardy then rode his grandfather’s bike away from the scene of the crime. Porter was found by a family member the next morning. She was taken to the hospital, but it was days later that they said she was dead.
Early in the morning on July 4, someone called the cops to say that Hardy was at a home in Cleveland. Prosecutors say that when police arrived, they put a flashlight on the house. According to the prosecutor’s office, Officer Jamieson Ritter started to talk to Hardy over the radio. The office also said that Hardy tried to escape out the back door with the bike, the gun, and two swords.
Prosecutors say Hardy fired four shots at the police as they tried to arrest him. One of the shots hit Ritter, who was declared dead at the hospital.
After that, Hardy was charged with several crimes, including three counts of aggravated murder, two counts of attempted aggravated murder, one count of murder, four counts of felonious assault, and other less serious charges. A copy of the indictment was seen by PEOPLE.
It’s not clear right now if Hardy has made a plea or hired a lawyer.
It took Delawnte Hardy a week to do unimaginable harm and sadness to two families, our police community, and our whole region, says Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley in a statement. “My office will be with these two families every step of the way to make sure justice is done.” My hopes and thoughts are still with the people who are sad about what happened.
