(Cleveland) – A 25-year veteran deputy from the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office is on administrative leave while an investigation goes on into a shooting last night, in which the deputy shot and killed a Westlake man at the scene of a traffic crash.
According to Sheriff Cliff Pinckney, the deputy was called out Thursday night to assist with traffic control at the scene of a crash on I-90 near the West Boulevard exit. When the deputy arrived, he saw a group of people in a fight. One of those people lunged at the deputy.
Pinckney says the deputy tried to stop the man using his Taser, but it had little or no effect. That’s when the deputy used his service revolver to shoot and stop the man. That man, Brett Luengo, 33, of Westlake, died at MetroHealth Medical Center.
Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish says the deputy responded appropriately, given the situation. As is standard practice in a fatal police-involved shooting, an outside investigation into the incident is underway.