In the heart of East Cleveland, Ohio, a quiet Thursday night was shattered by a violent domestic altercation that left a community reeling and law enforcement on high alert. The devastating chain of events, which unfolded on August 7, 2025, claimed the lives of two family members, left two police officers wounded, and culminated in a tense manhunt that gripped the city until dawn. At the center of this tragedy is 24-year-old Aaron L. Sharp, a man now in custody, accused of unleashing a wave of violence that has left an indelible mark on East Cleveland.
It began just before 11 p.m. on North Taylor Road, a residential street where the pulse of the city usually beats softly. East Cleveland Police received a frantic call reporting a domestic dispute at a home in the 1900 block. Officer Joshua Durda, a 37-year-old veteran of the force since 2023, was among the first to arrive. As he approached the residence, gunfire erupted. Bullets tore through the night, striking Durda in the leg, sending him to the ground in a moment that would set off a harrowing sequence of events. Inside the home, the scene was even more grim: two family members, 22-year-old Erik Sharp and 82-year-old Charles Roscoe, lay dead, allegedly gunned down by Aaron Sharp, a relative with a troubled history of encounters with law enforcement.
As police scrambled to secure the area and tend to their wounded colleague, the chaos spilled beyond the home. Just after 1 a.m., the situation escalated near Euclid Avenue, roughly a mile away at the Town House Motel. Officer Brandon Hernandez, a 24-year-old officer who joined the department in December 2024, responded to a ShotSpotter alert indicating more gunfire. Concealed in the brush, the suspect opened fire again, this time striking Hernandez in the buttocks. The ambush left the young officer wounded but resolute, as he was rushed to University Hospitals alongside Durda. Both officers, described as exemplary by East Cleveland Police Chief Reginald Holcomb, were reported in stable condition by Friday morning, with Hernandez expected to be released later that day. Durda, however, faced minor complications and would remain hospitalized for several days, his courage under fire a testament to his four years of service.
The suspect, Aaron Sharp, vanished into the night, sparking an all-out manhunt that transformed East Cleveland into a city on edge. Residents were urged to stay indoors as a coalition of law enforcement agencies descended on the area. The Cleveland Division of Police, Euclid Police, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, and others joined forces with SWAT teams, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and the U.S. Marshals Service. Drones buzzed overhead, and an Ohio State Highway Patrol aerial unit scanned the streets with infrared cameras, determined to track down the armed and dangerous suspect. The manhunt stretched through the early hours, with tension mounting as the community held its breath.
At approximately 8:30 a.m. on Friday, August 8, the search came to a dramatic close near Shaw High School, in the 1800 block of Sheldon Avenue. U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott described a surreal scene: Sharp, stripped of his clothes and wrapped in garbage bags, was cornered behind a residence with no connection to the earlier crimes. As authorities closed in, he made a desperate charge at a member of the Marshals’ Northeast Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force. A stun weapon brought him down, ending the hours-long ordeal and bringing relief to a city shaken by violence. Sharp was taken into custody alive, his motives and mindset still under investigation as formal charges loom.
East Cleveland Mayor Lateek Shabazz stood before the press on Friday, his voice steady but heavy with the weight of the tragedy. He praised the resilience of Officers Durda and Hernandez, noting their stable conditions and the community’s unwavering support. “This is a stark reminder of the risks our officers face every day,” Chief Holcomb echoed, his words underscoring the perilous reality of policing in a city no stranger to violence. The Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office stepped in to assist with calls for service, filling the gap left by the injured officers, while the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation took charge of processing the crime scenes.
The ripples of this tragedy extend far beyond the streets of East Cleveland. Just two weeks prior, a separate shooting in Lorain, Ohio, left three officers wounded in an ambush, casting a shadow over Northeast Ohio’s law enforcement community. Jay McDonald, president of the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police, voiced the collective frustration: “We have had more than 200 law enforcement officers shot so far this year, including six in Northeast Ohio in the last couple weeks. Enough is enough.”
As the investigation continues, involving a web of agencies from the ATF to the Secret Service, the focus remains on piecing together the events that led to such senseless loss. The identities of the victims, confirmed as Erik Sharp and Charles Roscoe, await official release by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office. For now, East Cleveland grapples with grief and questions, its residents and officers united in mourning yet resolute in their pursuit of justice. The bravery of Durda and Hernandez, the resolve of a multi-agency response, and the capture of Aaron Sharp stand as a testament to a community determined to rise above tragedy, even as it mourns those lost in the darkness of that fateful night.
