CLEVELAND — A grand jury has formally indicted two men for the shooting at My Friends Restaurant in Cleveland’s Edgewater neighborhood last month that left two people dead.
Anthony Hunt, 29, and 25-year-old Antonio Ortiz were indicted on murder charges by a Cuyahoga County grand jury for the deaths of a 27-year-old Keondre Austin, from Cleveland, and a 23-year-old Geongela Rivers, from Euclid, on March 22, according to a news release from Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley.
“These individuals fired over 30 shots inside a restaurant full of patrons,” O’Malley said. “Two individuals lost their lives and now they will pay the price.”
A verbal altercation between Ortiz and Austin inside the 24/7 restaurant just before 4 a.m. led Ortiz and Hunt to fire multiple shots, which resulted in all four suffering gunshot wounds, officials stated. Ortiz discarded his gun and fled the scene in a vehicle; Hunt discarded his weapon but remained at the restaurant.
Cleveland police officers arrived and provided first aid to Austin, Rivers and Hunt until EMS arrived and transported all three to the hospital, where Austin and Rivers later died, officials said. Hunt was treated for his injuries and later arrested, and it was later learned that Ortiz was taken to the hospital in a private vehicle, where he was treated and later arrested.
After an investigation by the Cleveland Police Department’s Homicide Unit, Hunt and Ortiz were indicted on multiple charges that include:
- Aggravated Murder
- Murder
- Felonious Assault
- Tampering With Evidence
- Illegal Possession of Firearm in Liquor Permit Premises
- Having Weapons Under Disability
- Aggravated Riot
Both are being held at the Cuyahoga County Jail – Hunt on a $2 million bond and Ortiz on a $1 million bond. Both men will be arraigned at a later date, the release states.
The real-time crime map below shows the locations and information on crimes reported in the City of Cleveland over the last 15 days:
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