CHARDON, Ohio — A political debate over President Trump that escalated into a shooting at the Centerville Mills Dog Park near Chagrin Falls on April 21 continued in court Tuesday.
Eighty-year-old Emmanuel Mathews faces a second-degree felony charge of felonious assault after police say he fired a shot and hit 55-year-old David Mattai.
During a preliminary hearing at Chardon Municipal Court, a judge ruled there is probable cause for the felony charge.
The decision followed nearly three hours of testimony where two Bainbridge police officers recalled their encounters responding to the shooting that day.
A central question before the court will be whether the shooting falls under self-defense.
Body camera video from the scene captured the moments after the shots were fired.
"Where are you shot?" an officer asked.
"In the back," Mattai responded.
In those videos, both Mattai and Mathews told police the confrontation escalated to violence over a debate involving President Trump.
"So you're talking about Trump," an officer said. "It's getting heated," Mattai responded.
"I told him I think he's one of the greatest presidents we've had - He went berserk," Mathews said to an officer while in the back of a squad car.
"They were arguing and getting into each other's faces," a witness told police.
Mathews described how the argument then turned physical.
"The guy grabbed me earlier and started shaking me up," Mathews said.
From there, statements made to police show how Mattai left the dog park, only to return several minutes later — reigniting the conversation with Mathews and eventually leading to Mathews firing the first shot at Mattai. Both individuals then fired shots.
"I saw his gun get pulled out and he said, 'I told you to get going,'" Mathews told police. "Then he moves to the back of the car and I say I feel my life is in danger. I said that because that's what they say when they you know — he went around the side of his car and started coming at me and I shot him."
Mattai is still recovering from the gunshot wound, according to police.
Following the municipal court decision, the case will be sent to the Geauga County Court of Common Pleas.
Clay LePard is the Ashtabula, Geauga and Portage counties reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @ClayLePard, on Facebook ClayLePardTV or email him at Clay.LePard@wews.com.
