A Cleveland police officer who was shot and killed Thursday while serving a felony warrant had been named Officer of the Month after he and his partner were credited with saving the lives of two people. Officer Jamieson Ritter was killed. De’Lawnte Hardy, 24, has been charged with aggravated murder in the killing, which happened around 4 a.m. in the city’s Hough neighborhood. Ritter joined the force in 2020. Originally from suburban Rochester, N.Y., he served as an ROTC cadet while he studied communications and rhetorical studies at Syracuse University. The Cleveland Police Foundation named Ritter, 27, Officer of the Month five days ago. He and a partner gave emergency aid to two gunshot victims, one in February and one in May, and rescued a man who had jumped into the Cuyahoga River in April, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Speaking of Thursday's shooting, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said, “On this Independence Day, this tragedy is a painful reminder of the sacrifices our law enforcement and military members make in support of freedom and public safety." Police Chief Dorothy Todd said Ritter was among eight to 10 officers who tried to arrest Hardy on a felonious assault warrant issued from a suburban department. U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said Garfield Heights police issued the warrant for Hardy’s arrest. It stemmed from a June 29 incident. That city’s detectives asked the Marshal’s Violent Fugitive Task Force for help locating Hardy and serving the warrant.