A quiet Cleveland neighborhood was shattered Wednesday afternoon when 68-year-old Thomas Overall was gunned down while mowing his lawn — a horrifying act that authorities are calling a suspected murder-suicide.
The broad-daylight shooting took place around 1:30 p.m. on May 14, along the 15700 block of Munn Road in the West Park neighborhood, according to Cleveland 19 News. Neighbors say Overall was simply doing yardwork when tragedy struck.
Police later found the suspected shooter dead inside a vehicle parked several blocks away on Hogsback Lane, near the Stinchcomb-Groth Memorial in the Rocky River Reservation. Authorities say the suspect appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
While investigators have yet to release the motive, neighbors told Fox 8 News the shooter had a reputation for being “volatile,” with a history of run-ins in the area.
The shock and heartbreak are still reverberating throughout the community.
“Tom’s immediate and extended family are shocked and grief-stricken over his loss. He was well-liked and well-loved by everyone who knew him,” the family said in a statement to Fox 8 News. “Originally from Missouri, Tom moved to Cleveland decades ago and fully embraced it as home. He loved his neighborhood and his neighbors.”
Friends say Overall was an avid outdoorsman who had been preparing for an overseas hiking adventure. He was scheduled to leave May 16 for a two-week hiking trip in Spain with fellow members of the Cleveland Hiking Club.
“Tom was a member of CHC since 2013 and hiked almost 6,000 miles with us,” club president Sharon Uhl told Fox 8. “Many members knew him and enjoyed his company on the trail. We are shocked and saddened by his needless death. A wonderful person, a loss for so many.”
Locals have been laying flowers, sharing memories, and praying for peace in the wake of the violence.
“He was the greatest,” said neighbor Debbie Orlosky through tears. “We just loved him. All of us.”
Cleveland Ward 17 Councilman Charles Slife visited the scene and spoke with grieving neighbors. “Please pray for the victim and for his neighbors who are processing this senseless act of violence,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
At a town hall meeting the same evening, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb acknowledged the tragedy: “Our hearts and prayers are with the victims of the murder-suicide that took place earlier today.”
As of now, police have not released further information about the suspect or the events leading up to the shooting. The investigation remains ongoing.
Heard the shooter was a real A-hole.
Thank God he killed himself; otherwise, we would be paying for his defense, his appeals, his incarceration, his food, his medical care, his additional educational opportunities, and more legal appeals.