CLEVELAND — A family is devastated and demanding answers after a mother was killed on her way to church, an innocent victim of a high-speed chase.
Euclid Police say they were after a car stolen at gunpoint and chased it into Cleveland Sunday afternoon.
Michelle Wall’s son, her mother and her friends all want to know why the chase had to happen for a car stolen days earlier. Wall’s son also has a question for the two teen suspects who were also seriously hurt.
Wall was a beloved mother of three boys, ages 25, 23 and 17.
She also helped raise two of her three grandchildren and was faithful to her church.
"Her heart was pure. Everything she did was love for her family, her boys and her grandkids,” said Wall’s oldest son, Michael Barnes.
Barnes spoke with News 5 Investigators but did not want to go on camera.
“That was my best friend, that was my book, that was my heart, that was my world, that was my god and I lost my god,” Barnes said.
Wall’s family says she was on her way to church for a second time Sunday afternoon when she was killed.
Police say the suspect was going over 100 miles per hour as officers chased the car into Cleveland.
It crashed and caught fire at East 156th and Calcutta, just off I-90 West.
A 17-year-old boy and 18-year-old girl were critically hurt.
See more coverage from the scene in our initial report on the crash on Sunday:
Wall was just 44 years old.
“Why chase somebody over that amount of speed? That’s fast,” Barnes said.
Cleveland Police said the car was stolen during a carjacking early Friday morning on Superior Avenue at East 26th Street.
Police say about ten carjackers, believed to be teens, surrounded a woman in two separate cars.
She was returning home from a downtown club, and they took her car at gunpoint.
“Why steal cars though? There’s better things to do out here, man. I know it’s hard, I’m young too, but just why, man?” Barnes said.
Cleveland Council President Blaine Griffin offered his condolences to the Wall family.
“Tragic, tragic loss,” Griffin said.
Griffin says he understands the need to capture violent criminals but wants to find a balance with police from the suburbs chasing into the city.
“We’ve had too many come in from Parma into the City of Cleveland and other jurisdictions, most recently Euclid and other suburbs. And these guys are trying to apprehend suspects, and I understand that, but somehow we’ve got to strike a balance,” Griffin said.
Blaine is calling for a regional police pursuit policy and a better job using technology.
He said he understands technology picked up the plate in Euclid.
Euclid police later said the stolen car's licence plate was picked up by a FLOCK license plate reading camera. This occurred two days after the car was stolen.
“We can make sure helicopters are in the air, we can use better tools, there's cameras on almost every corner,” Griffin said.
Barnes last saw his mother alive earlier on Saint Patrick’s Day.
“It’s hard because I’m 25. I never thought I’d bury my mom at 25,” Barnes said.
The Euclid Police Chief did not answer our questions about this chase or their chase policy. A day after our report, the department released this statement at 8:14 p.m.
Please see the attached statement from Chief Scott Meyer regarding the incident that occurred on Sunday, March 17th. pic.twitter.com/GwfH3bOmIn
— EuclidPD (@Euclid_PD) March 20, 2024
Ward 8 Councilman Mike Polensek released a statement:
“My deepest sympathy for the victim, Michelle Wall, who was just going about her life, and for her family and loved ones,” Polensek said. “I want these carjackers prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and they could be facing vehicular homicide.”
Polensek said edge neighborhoods have seen a rash of chases that start outside the city and end up in Cleveland, with bystanders injured or killed. This time, it happened in Ward 8.
“I understand it was a violent carjacking that took place a day or so before in the City of Cleveland that led Euclid police to identify this vehicle on Sunday,” Polensek continued. “We collectively need to get a handle on these car thefts, carjackings, and police chases, especially if they are moving from outside Cleveland into our city limits.
“Police departments across the county need to utilize additional tools, such as cameras, drones, and helicopters, to catch these violent criminals while keeping innocent citizens safe.”
Polensek has reached out to the family in this difficult time.
