Details of the investigation into the Sept. 27 shooting in downtown Cleveland are becoming clearer, with three more suspects being named by law enforcement this week.
Christopher Smith, Kevin Carter and Daniel Wingfield are wanted in connection with the shooting death of Dexter “Deck” Mangham, who was killed near East Fourth Street at around 2 a.m. early on a Sunday morning. (Brothers Dontez and Devon Drake have been arraigned on aggravated murder charges in connection with this case already.)
Mangham’s death marked a major point in the narrative of this year’s increasing violence: a homicide in the heart of Cleveland’s oft-lauded downtown entertainment district. It was also a hit that didn’t take out any unintended targets, despite several other people being injured. Many shootings in the past two months — botched drive-bys, often enough — have killed innocent children, like 5-year-old Ramon Burnett, 3-year-old Major Howard and 5-month-old Aavielle Wakefield.
“The vengeance and the revenge and the anger: That all keeps on going,” Judy Martin, from Survivors/Victims of Tragedy, told Scene earlier this month. “And until they hit Dexter, they all missed their targets.”
Police reportedly believe the downtown incident is also tied to the shooting death of 19-year-old Sidney Smith (the sister of Christopher Smith), which took place that same night.
The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force is offering a reward for any information that could lead to the arrest of Smith, Carter or Wingfield. Call 1-866-4WANTED to drop an anonymous tip.This article appears in Oct 7-13, 2015.
These clowns **** the proverbial bed on this one. Besides the fact that they are apparently horrible shots, it kind of goes without saying that they aren’t very bright to shoot someone on East 4th. You know, because a popular hangout killing doesn’t attract police attention or anything.