Cleveland police officer shot dead has ties to Rochester area

Cleveland Police Department

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Cleveland police say one of their officers was shot and killed early Thursday morning while executing a warrant. That officer has ties to the Rochester area.

Jamieson Ritter, 27, is originally from Webster and graduated from McQuaid Jesuit High School in 2015.

Additionally, the Greek police posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Ritter’s father, Jon, had served in their department and retired in 2013.

Jamieson Ritter is a graduate of Syracuse University and joined the Cleveland Division of Police in 2020. He was also a member of the Army National Guard and was deployed to Syria in 2022. Upon his return, he continued his duties with the Cleveland Police Department.

According to the Associated Press, Ritter was part of a team sent to serve an arrest warrant on 24-year-old De’Lawnte Hardy for aggravated assault.

When officers arrived, Police Chief Dorothy Todd said they saw Hardy fleeing the house on a bicycle and officers attempted to stop him. Hardy reportedly fired a gun several times, hitting Officer Ritter.

The officers, Todd said, “go out there, they work hard. They risk their lives. They risk everything they have to protect the community.”

In a statement, Cleveland police said that according to Ritter’s family, “from a young age, Jamieson possessed an innate understanding of selfless service to the nation and a strong desire to serve his community.”

This story includes reporting from the Associated Press.