Off-duty officer suspended after firing shot in Ohio elementary school parking lot

LAKE COUNTY — An off-duty Cleveland police officer has been suspended after allegedly firing a single shot fired outside of an elementary school on Thursday morning.

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Alexander Sinclair, 34, pleaded not guilty on Friday to felonious assault, two counts of kidnapping, and discharge of a firearm on or near a prohibited premise, according to WOIO in Cleveland.

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Students and staff at Riverview Elementary School in Lake County were placed under lockdown for around an hour on Thursday after a shot was fired in the school’s parking lot. The district confirmed the shot was not fired in the direction of the school.

Authorities described the incident as a domestic dispute that began off-campus.

The victim, who shares a child with Sinclair, said she and Sinclair had gotten into an argument earlier in the day and claimed that he followed her to the school as she was dropping her child off, WKYC reported.

Robert Izzo, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy, said Sinclair’s vehicle collided with the victim’s car before he allegedly got out of his vehicle and went up to the passenger side of the other car. Reports indicated Sinclair then fired a shot through the vehicle’s windshield.

After the shot was fired, the school’s resource officer ordered Sinclair to drop the weapon. He did and the deputy was able to detain him after a struggle, WEWS reported.

In a statement on Friday, the Cleveland Division of Police announced that Sinclair had been suspended.

“Following the arrest, Alexander Sinclair was relieved of duty and will remain suspended without pay pending the adjudication of the criminal charges,” Cleveland police said in a statement obtained by WKYC.

Sinclair is being held without bond and is expected to be back in court on Monday.

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