Later in the evening, when Jones went outside, he saw a sky blue-colored, 4-door vehicle pull up with several males.

By JAMES W. WADE III

Staff Reporter

Cleveland police are investigating the fatal shooting Saturday morning of a 20-year-old man downtown. The man was shot by an off-duty Cleveland police officer who said the man was reaching for a handgun.

Police say police officer Roger Jones, while off-duty, shot and killed a suspect near E. 9th Street and Bolivar Road just before 3 a.m. Jones saw a fight in the parking lot of Wilbert's Bar on Bolivar Avenue. While watching the fight, he saw a man in a gold Saturn firing off a handgun before taking off on E. 9th Street. Jones followed and call on-duty officers.

Police were able to stop the car on E. 9th Street and Prospect Avenue, finding Devonta Hill, Kayron B. Purdie and Kenneth Smith in the car. Hill and Purdie got out of the car, but Smith stayed inside.

Authorities say that Jones then saw Smith reach for a handgun. They said Jones kicked out the passenger window telling Smith to put his hands up several times. Police reported that Smith went for the gun in the car and was shot in the head by Jones.

Smith was pronounced dead at MetroHealth Medical Center. Jones had minor injuries to his leg from kicking out the car window and has since been placed on administrative leave.

Prior to this fatal shooting, police dealt with four other shootings. The first happened at 1:15 a.m. Saturday. Police say two men were shot on E. 71st Street at Big Daddy's Bar. Reports show that Brandon Pittman and Anthony Byrd got into a fight in the bar and had been removed. The fight continued outside of the bar. That's when an unknown man pulled out a handgun and shot Pittman in the calf and Byrd in the foot. Both victims were taken to and treated at MetroHealth Medical Center.

The second shooting happened at E. 185th Street and Cherokee Avenue just after 1:30 a.m. Saturday. Police were giving special attention to the Nu-Way Bar when they saw a large group running out of the bar.

At the same time, Joseph King Jr. hailed an EMS crew and told them he was shot in the stomach. King was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center.

King told police that a group of women got into a fight in the bar. One of King's friends told him she was roughed up by another man. That's when King confronted the man. A fight broke out and King was shot in the stomach.

Police say the suspect was wearing a brown fur coat, about 5' 7" and weighing about 130 pounds, with a brown completion.

At 1:35 a.m., police went to University Hospitals for another man who was shot at 1204 Old River Road. Reports say Nathaniel Primous was waiting outside with a group of friends for a ride home from his girlfriend's. While waiting outside Script Night Club, he heard several gunshots and started running. That's when he fell to the ground after being shot in the foot. No other information is available with this shooting at this time.

Then at 1:40 a.m., Antonio Jones was shot at 11313 Whitmore Avenue. It’s reported that Jones was hosting a party when a man named Maurice tried to get him to fight. Maurice was escorted out of the party.

Later in the evening, when Jones went outside, he saw a sky blue-colored, 4-door vehicle pull up with several males. Maurice got out of the car and aimed a gun at Jones and began to fire. Jones was shot in the leg.

"Maurice" is described as 5'10" tall and weighing 150 pounds, with black hair and a medium complexion. He was last seen wearing a grey hoodie and blue jeans.

A 25-year-old woman who was fatally stabbed and found Monday outside a Grace Avenue home has been identified as Danielle Coleman, of Oakwood. Police continue to look for her boyfriend, 41-year-old Marlon Ricks, who lived at the house in the 10000 block of Grace.

Ricks is believed to be armed and dangerous and may be driving a maroon, 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer with license plate DFJ 4455, said police. Coleman was stabbed in the chest and covered with bedding in the back yard, Chief Robert Sackett said. "We don't know when or why it happened." Her mother reported her missing Saturday, when she failed to visit her mother's home in Ashtabula.

Ricks was paroled in April after serving 20 years in prison for murder, kidnapping, aggravated burglary and felonious assault using a gun. He killed a man and kidnapped and assaulted a woman.

The city of Cleveland has had several violent weekends recently, bringing City Councilmen and Community Activists asking to “Stop the Violence.”