MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio — One person is dead, and one man is charged with aggravated murder following a shooting in Mayfield Heights Friday afternoon.
Watch video from the courtroom below:
The shooting happened around 4 p.m. on Mayfield Road near Washington Boulevard, in the plaza where Piada Italian Street Food is located. Police received multiple 911 calls reporting gunfire.
When officers arrived, they found a man in the parking lot suffering from a gunshot wound.
The man was identified as 45-year-old Al Rice. He was transported to Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital, where he later died.
Police believe the shooting happened outside the business. Three adults were taken into custody at the scene.
One of them, 24-year-old Dae’Juan Morton, was charged with one count of aggravated murder and two counts of attempted murder.
Morton appeared before Judge Dominic Coletta for his arraignment. His attorney asked for a $50,000 bond, arguing Morton has no criminal history and was working during the shooting.
“I do believe there are the earmarks of self-defense in this incident report. I would add also that it's clear that my client was working for DoorDash at the time. He wasn't out looking for trouble. He went to pick up an order. Looks like in the police report that the victim in this case initiated some kind of confrontation with my client,” said Morton’s defense attorney.
But Coletta did not think $50,000 was high enough, setting Morton’s bond at $1 million.
The shooting is still under investigation. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Mayfield Heights Detective Bureau at 440-442-2323.
