Father of 3 children shot, killed while attending vigil for murdered friend

CLEVELAND — A father of three children was shot and killed while attending a vigil for his murdered friend Saturday.

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Cleveland Police were dispatched to the intersection of East 88th Street and Bessemer Avenue at 10:10 p.m. on reports of a shooting, a spokesperson for the law enforcement agency said, according to 19 News.

As officers arrived and conducted their investigation, they discovered that a man was shot in the head while attending a vigil for Dawaun Drake, 29, who was murdered a few days before on Thursday. The unidentified man was rushed to University Hospitals for treatment; however, he was unable to survive past his gunshot wounds.

Kelvin Clark, 25, of Cleveland, was identified as the newly deceased victim.

The ensuing investigation found that Clark argued with others during the vigil. Following the argument, a man approached Clark, fired his weapon, and fled in a dark-colored SUV, the spokesperson said. The same suspect reportedly returned and shot his gun several more times at Clark.

Family and friends held a vigil in Clark’s honor. The vigil consisted of a picnic and a balloon release.

Attendees who spoke with 19 News prayed for the gun violence to stop.

Clark’s “dreams were to get our family out of here. That’s the main thing he wants us to do, all of us. We wanted to make it out,” Robert Allen, the victim’s best friend of 15 years, said in reference to Clark’s new job in Alaska.

“He was everybody’s protector. If he loved you and had love for you he would protect you with everything within him,” Ta’liyah Kiera, Clark’s girlfriend, said.

“It needs to stop. But, I feel like it’s never going to stop. These moms are raising knuckleheads. But, I feel like these men need to come together and get the young generation to find things to do, instead of killing each other,” Clark’s sister, Chelsea Gresham, said.

Clark was survived by his three young children and a mother who would have to bury her son.

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