CLEVELAND — A 20-year-old Garfield Heights man was arrested Wednesday and booked into the Cuyahoga County jail for Sunday's deadly shooting of a rideshare driver on Cleveland's East Side.
Police said the man was taken into custody on Wednesday after a search warrant was executed and multiple firearms were found and collected as evidence.
The man is believed to be involved in the fatal shooting of 56-year-old Lyft driver Antoine Latham.
RELATED: Lyft driver shot, killed in Cleveland
Investigators have not released details of what led them to the accused gunman or said if he was the one who ordered the rideshare.
"At this point though we do have probable cause to believe that this individual is responsible for the shooting death of the 56-year old man," said Cleveland Police Sgt. Wilfred Diaz.
Police said the suspect, Derrek Dove, 20, has been charged with aggravated murder, a first-degree felony.
News of an arrest was a relief to people living on Rosehill Avenue.
"Nobody wants death at their doorstep," said Dan Elliot. "I just pray everybody is alright."
What happened
Around 9:50 p.m. on Sunday, officers were called to the intersection of East 103 Street and Rosehill Avenue after 911 callers reported a car had crashed into the guardrail in front of a home, police said.
When they located Latham, rescuers found that he had been shot in the head. Latham was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Latham was the first of two Lyft drivers who were shot and killed this week within 27 hours of each other.
The second driver, 27-year-old Vasyl Shvets of Parma, crashed into a dumpster after suffering a gunshot wound early Tuesday morning on East 84th Street.
RELATED: Second Lyft driver shot and killed in Cleveland in 27 hours
"We did not and we still don't believe that those two incidents are connected," said Diaz. "We're not naive to the thought process of individuals that may think that this was perhaps something, a serial killer or something of that nature. We were cognizant of that. We're listening to our community and the concerns so it was important to get some answers."
No arrests have been made in the second shooting.
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb sent the following statement regarding Wednesday's arrest:
“The Cleveland Division of Police is exploring every avenue, exhausting every resource, and examining every possibility related to these horrific crimes. Their swift work has already led to one arrest and they will continue to pore over every minute detail, meticulously review all available camera footage, interview every witness, and extensively pursue all leads.
Our detectives' sense of urgency is unmatched. They are moving at lightning speed and will not stop until all those responsible are brought to justice, because that's what these victims' families deserve.
Murdering rideshare drivers are heinous crimes to the utmost degree, which is why we will be advocating that their punishment reflects the full gravity of this barbaric behavior. This is necessary as it sends a strong, clear message that this level of lawlessness will not be tolerated in our community.”
