CLEVELAND — Five years after firefighter Wilbert McCormick was shot and killed, the Cleveland Fire Department held a media event Tuesday morning in hopes of finding his killer.
You can watch the press conference below:
"We need to end our love affair with gun violence," McCormick's longtime friend Keith Brown said.
On July 21, 2020, McCormick was walking with his wife, Venita, near Forest Hill Park when police said people in cars started shooting:
"We were just minding our business, when out of nowhere, my husband was struck in the head with a random bullet," Venita McCormick said.
She said the day he was killed was a beautiful day, and there were a lot of cars in the parking lot when the shooting happened. That was five years ago.
The couple was out for a walk around 7:30 p.m., and they were walking in the Forest Hills Park area. That's when police said Wilbert McCormick was shot in the head and died. Police believe he was an innocent victim. Police are trying to identify the people and cars in the parking lot.
The 62-year-old retired Cleveland Firefighter died, and his case remains unsolved.
"We're asking now the citizens of Cleveland, Wil served you for 30 years, if there is anybody who knows anything, we're asking that you step forward, " said Cleveland Assistant Fire Chief Thomas Schloemer.
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest.
"We're just asking for someone to step forth and do something that you would want someone to do for your family," said Lorenzo Rose, Wilbert McCormick's brother-in-law.
"Somebody out there knows who did this," Lt. Michael Norman said. "If there is anybody out there that knows anything about this, we are asking you this step forward."
Venita McCormick remains hopeful that an arrest will be made.
"We're still grieving. We're still looking for whoever took my loved one's life," McCormick said.
